secret police

If anything, he’s returning the FBI to its roots as America’s secret police, bound by no laws, no rules and no ethics.

The ban, which comes into effect on 1 January 2026, is part of a series of bills that aims to protect residents from what Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has called "secret police" roaming the streets.

“Sen. Scott Wiener’s legislation banning our federal law enforcement from wearing masks and his rhetoric comparing them to ‘secret police’ — likening them to the gestapo — is despicable,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

Cooper interviewed Parviz Sabeti, a former director of counter espionage for the Shah's secret police, as part of his research for a biography of the Shah.

Critics argue that his reluctance to fully reform the justice system or confront the legacy of the Securitate – the feared secret police – allowed a culture of impunity to take root.