Federal officers armed with crowd control substances and no badges or uniforms have been walking around Washington, D.C., over the past few days to keep calm riots in the city.
The officers are wearing all black uniforms with no identifiers labeling their agency. They have on riot gear, face masks, knives, and stun guns as they patrol the streets.
"I'm not aware of any specific Bureau of Prisons personnel being told not to identify themselves," Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal told reporters Thursday during a press conference at the Justice Department.
In a statement, the bureau said the officers were a part of a crisis-management unit, which is frequently used to stop prison riots.
The officials were seen Tuesday and Wednesday, when the city had 7 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET curfews.
University of Dayton law professor Thaddeus Hoffmeister told The Hill that federal law-enforcement agents do not always have to wear uniforms with identifying markings.
"As a general rule, members of the Army (Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserves) must wear an identifiable uniform," Hoffmeister told The Hill. "The folks you see without an identifiable uniform are primarily federal law enforcement who don't have the same requirements."
Some law enforcement experts said officers walking around without identifiable uniforms on was unusual and could stir up confusion and mayhem during the riots.
Former New York City police commissioner William Bratton told The Washington Post the unidentified officers walking through Washington, D.C., was "very concerning."
"If those officers engage in any type of misbehavior during the time that they are there representing the federal government, how are you to identify them?" Bratton told the Post. "What is the need for anonymity in controlling crowd demonstrations?"
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