HB 1060: Georgia Public Safety Transparency and Citizen Protection Act of 2026; enact

Under current Georgia law, police generally are not required to show identification or avoid face coverings during normal duties, and deadly force rules focus mainly on suspected felons who pose a threat. This bill, titled the Georgia Public Safety Transparency and Citizen Protection Act of 2026, creates a new law (O.C.G.A. § 35-1-25) requiring officers doing 'routine operations' such as traffic stops, patrols, and investigations to wear visible ID showing their last name and agency, and to verbally identify themselves to the public. It also bans those officers from wearing face coverings during such duties, with exceptions for undercover work, tactical gear needed for safety, or protecting an officer's identity in court. The bill also changes the kidnapping and false imprisonment statutes so that an officer wearing a face covering or failing to identify themselves is treated as acting without lawful authority. It rewrites the deadly force law to require de-escalation and a verbal warning first, and bars deadly force against someone merely fleeing. Violations can bring GBI investigation, POST Council discipline, and civil damages of at least $1,000.

• Creates a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 35-1-25) requiring officers to wear visible ID and verbally state their name and agency during routine duties like traffic stops and patrols.
• Bans law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while performing routine operations, with exceptions for undercover work, safety gear, or protecting identity in court proceedings.
• Rewrites the kidnapping and false imprisonment statutes so an officer who wears a face covering or fails to identify themselves is legally acting without authority when detaining someone.
• Requires officers to exhaust de-escalation tactics and give a verbal warning before using deadly force, and bars deadly force against someone who is only fleeing.
• Lets the Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe reported violations and refer certified officers to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council for discipline.
• Removes an officer's legal immunity and imposes civil liability of at least $1,000 in damages for failing to follow the ID and no-mask rules.

Georgia and local law enforcement officers performing routine patrol, traffic, and investigative duties; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which gain new enforcement roles; and members of the public who interact with police, including drivers stopped for traffic violations.

Georgians stopped or approached by police during ordinary duties would be entitled to see an officer's name badge and hear their name and agency, and officers wearing masks during those encounters could face discipline or lawsuits. The deadly force changes would require warnings and de-escalation before force is used, and bar deadly force on someone merely running away.

• Section 3 and 4 amend the kidnapping (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-40) and false imprisonment (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-41) statutes so an officer wearing a face covering or failing to identify themselves has no lawful authority to detain a person.
• Section 5 amends the state's anti-mask law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-38) to remove the occupational-safety exception for officers performing routine operations under the new Section 35-1-25.
• Section 6 rewrites the deadly force statute (O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20), adding a definition of deadly force, requiring de-escalation and a verbal warning before its use, and banning its use solely to stop someone fleeing.
• Section 7 creates new Code Section 35-1-25, defining 'routine operations,' requiring visible ID and verbal self-identification, banning face coverings, and setting up GBI investigation and POST Council discipline for violations.
• Section 7 also removes an officer's immunity for violations and sets civil damages at actual damages or at least $1,000, whichever is greater.
• Section 8 amends the fleeing-or-eluding law (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-395) so a driver has a defense to prosecution if the pursuing officer was not in compliance with the new ID and no-mask requirements.

1. 2026-02-02House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-01-29House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-28House Hopper (House)

• Derrick Jackson (D, HD-068)Primary sponsor
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)

• police reform
• law enforcement identification
• use of force
• face coverings
• civil liability