Durango’s No Secret Police committee has gathered enough signatures to send a proposed ordinance banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks to City Council.
The committee had 30 days to gather 1,047 valid signatures – 15% of all votes cast in the last municipal election – from registered electors in Durango by March 6 to advance its proposal.
City spokesman Tom Sluis said the committee returned 84 petitions by the deadline, and the city clerk’s office stopped counting signatures after verifying the group surpassed its benchmark with 1,051 signatures from 50 petitions.
Mick Souder, a committee organizer, announced the group’s success in a written statement to The Durango Herald.
“The petition committee organizers extend their appreciation to all circulators and signers ‘for breaking the silence barrier’ in our people-driven No Secret Police in Durango petition drive,” he said.
Sluis said City Council is tentatively scheduled to address the initiative at its April 7 meeting. Council has 30 days from that meeting to either adapt the proposed ordinance or submit it to voters as a ballot measure in a special election.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Mayor Gilda Yazzie said of the committee’s success.
She said the petitioners put in the effort to gather the necessary signatures to bring up an issue important to them – representative democracy in action.
As for what comes next, she said Durango residents must decide whether the proposed ordinance should be passed. That means holding a special election. She said based on her experience, she anticipates the majority of City Council members will agree.
City Council discussed a draft statement that appeared to disfavor the ordinance at its March 2 meeting. But councilors could not reach a consensus on the tone and overall message the statement.
The draft letter mentioned efforts the city has taken on the subject of immigration in response to many residents’ dissatisfaction with federal immigration enforcement, including the formation of a task force to explore ways the city can better support its immigrant community.
It also suggested the proposed anti-mask ordinance is “legally vulnerable” and would put the city at “substantial financial risk” given the Trump administration’s actions toward so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” over policies that restrict or prohibit state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal agencies such as U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.
The draft cited the Trump administration’s freeze of $10 billion in federal child care and family assistance to five states, including Colorado, in January.
The state of Colorado is listed among 12 other states identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as a sanctuary jurisdiction. In May 2025, The Associated Press reported the DOJ briefly identified Durango and La Plata County as sanctuary jurisdictions as well.
Councilor Jessika Loyer said the citizen’s initiative is an important process for residents to bring issues forward and have their voices heard.
“We’ll have to carefully evaluate the legal, operational and financial implications,” she said. “There are potential considerations related to federal funding and city resources that we’ll need to understand clearly.”
She said it will be important to have a thoughtful and transparent discussion about the impacts of adopting the ordinance as written or holding a special election.
Souder said he doesn’t anticipate City Council will adopt the ordinance without holding a special election first. Which direction councilors take should become apparent soon enough at the April 7 meeting.
Other councilors said they also appreciated the No Secret Police committee’s petitioning efforts.
“Uniting the voices of concerned citizens is always a good thing for a community,” Councilor Kip Koso said.
What concerns him, though, is that a similar ordinance in California has been challenged.
“I am certainly a fan of a national solution to a federal problem (masks on ICE agents) and would prefer that a small town with limited resources is not put in a position to litigate this issue. The feds caused it and the feds should fix it,” he said.
He said he worries about Durango police officers facing felony charges for attempting to enforce any municipal ordinance prohibiting masks on federal officers, and losing federal funding for Durango Transit or the Durango-La Plata County Airport would hurt vulnerable populations.
Councilor Dave Woodruff said he is glad residents have a process to bring issues that reflect the community’s values to City Council’s attention.
He said he needs to examine the proposed ordinance more closely before he can support adopting it outright versus placing it on a ballot.
Councilor Shirley Gonzales said she is proud of the committee and its willingness to stand up for its values.
“I am supportive of the proposed ordinance,” she said. “It may lead to a loss in federal funding, but I also believe that our moral integrity is at stake.
She said not supporting the proposed ordinance implies City Council cares “more about financial considerations than we do about families and children and upholding the constitution.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
