SAN DIEGO —
The San Diego Police Department has authorized its officers to not wear their name tags during protests if a department leader gives them the OK. Instead officers would wear a tag with an ID number on their uniforms.
Some community members say a number instead of a name will undermine transparency and make it difficult to hold officers accountable. The Police Department disagrees.
A police spokesman said the move — a policy change — was in response to instances in recent months across the country in which officers’ personal information was revealed during protests.
The department pointed to one instance in San Diego. During a small protest outside the department’s downtown headquarters on Sept. 10, a pair of officers, at the request of a protester, shared their names and ID numbers. Minutes later, the protester used a bullhorn to “yell out” the officers’ home addresses and salary information, according to police spokesman Lt. Shawn Takeuchi.