Penal Code section 13654
(a)
A law enforcement officer operating in California that is not uniformed, and therefore is not required to clearly display identification pursuant to Section 830.10, shall visibly display identification that includes their agency and either a name or badge number or both name and badge number when performing their enforcement duties, unless expressly exempt under subdivision (b).(b)
This section does not apply to any of the following:(1)
An officer engaged in active undercover operations or investigative activities.(2)
An officer engaged in plainclothes operations who is employed within the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, California Health and Human Services Agency, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Transportation Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, California Government Operations Agency, or within any department, board, commission, or other entity in those agencies or the federal equivalents of these state agencies.(3)
An officer wearing personal protective equipment that prevents display.(4)
Exigent circumstances, involving an imminent danger to persons or property, or the escape of a perpetrator, or the destruction of evidence, including if the officer is responding to those circumstances while off-duty.(5)
An officer assigned to Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) or tactical team units and actively performing their SWAT or tactical team responsibilities.(6)
An officer engaged in protective operations involving elected officials, judicial officers, or other designated dignitaries where the display of identification would compromise the safety, anonymity, or tactical effectiveness of the protection detail.(c)
A willful and knowing violation of this section is punishable as a misdemeanor.(d)
For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:(1)
“Enforcement duties” means active and planned operations involving the arrest or detention of an individual, or deployment for crowd control purposes.(2)
“Law enforcement officer” means a peace officer as defined in Section 830, and any federal law enforcement officer.(e)
This section, and the penalties established herein, shall not apply to any law enforcement agency, or its personnel, if that agency maintains and publicly posts a written policy pursuant to Section 7288 of the Government Code.(f)
This section shall become operative on January 1, 2026.
Source:
Section 13654, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=13654. (updated Sep. 20, 2025; accessed Oct. 20, 2025).
