Masks in banks

[Jedothek]

If a person walks into a bank wearing a mask, can he be lawfully questioned or detained by a guard or police officer, or must the officer wait until the person pulls a gun or otherwise misbehaves?

 

[Just Blue]

If a person walks into a bank wearing a mask, can he be lawfully questioned or detained by a guard or police officer, or must the officer wait until the person pulls a gun or otherwise misbehaves?

What state?
What type of mask?

 

[Bali Hai Again]

If a person walks into a bank wearing a mask, can he be lawfully questioned or detained by a guard or police officer, or must the officer wait until the person pulls a gun or otherwise misbehaves?

Whether the officer‘s commands are legal or not I advise the masked person to comply to prevent the need for medical attention.

 

[Jedothek]

What state?
What type of mask?

Pennsylvania
A mask that makes the person hard or impossible to identify later, such as a kerchief that covers the whole face below the eyes ( along with a hat that hides the forehead)

 

[adjusterjack]

If a person walks into a bank wearing a mask, can he be lawfully questioned or detained by a guard or police officer,

Yes.

Like being pulled over in your car for a suspicious move, the guard or officer needs only a reasonable suspicion that something is worthy of his attention.

A mask that makes the person hard or impossible to identify later, such as a kerchief that covers the whole face below the eyes ( along with a hat that hides the forehead)

There are two reasons that I can think of as to why a person would walk into a bank dressed like that.

1 - He's going to rob the bank.
2 - He's one of those morons who enjoys cop baiting.

 

[Taxing Matters]

If a person walks into a bank wearing a mask, can he be lawfully questioned or detained by a guard or police officer, or must the officer wait until the person pulls a gun or otherwise misbehaves?

When you are in a place of business, the owner of the business sets the rules regarding whom they will let in and whom they will exclude, so long as they are not violating federal and state laws regarding illegal discrimination. There is no right for the public to be in a bank lobby or any other privately owned space. If someone comes into the bank with a mask like the kind you mentioned the guard may ask the person questions about it or simply tell the customer to remove the mask or get out of the bank. If the person refuses to leave, the police may be called to remove the person and charge the person with trespassing and the bank may ban the person from entering the bank in the future. If the guard is a police officer, then that officer may forcibly remove the noncompliant customer or arrest the customer for the trespass.

The bottom line is that going into a bank wearing those kinds of masks is a bad idea and if you refuse to remove the mask or leave, you may face legal consequences, including potential felony charges.. Causing trouble or panic inside a bank may subject you to both federal and state criminal. As you might imagine, the laws are extra stringent when it comes to bank security because of all the bank robberies that have occurred over the year.

If for some reason you don't want bank personnel to see your face then don't go into the bank lobby. Do your transactions via computer, by phone, at an outside ATM, etc where no one will see you and you can conduct your banking in peace. If you go into the lobby with a mask, be prepared to remove it or get kicked out. Most banks and other financial institutions have very little tolerance for games over this sort of thing.

 

[quincy]

Pennsylvania
A mask that makes the person hard or impossible to identify later, such as a kerchief that covers the whole face below the eyes ( along with a hat that hides the forehead)

In Philadelphia you could be violating the law. The city enacted a ban on wearing ski masks or balaclavas (full face masks) in certain locations, one location of which could be a bank. You potentially could face a $250 fine (up to $2000 when masked during the commission of a crime). Although enacted in December 2023, it apparently has not been vigorously enforced.

Pennsylvania does not have a statewide anti-mask law, however, and the Covid mask mandate (when you had to wear masks) was lifted in June 2021. You would need to check for local ordinances to see if any other city has enacted a law like Philadelphia.

Countrywide, several states have old anti-mask laws that they are starting to use again, generally against protesters.

 

[quincy]

For additional reading about anti-mask laws and mask bans, here are a few links:

Philadelphia’s law on Concealed Identities as amended, See Section 10-613:
https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-282352

From NBC News, April 2024:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna140006

From the ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/states-dust-off-obscure-anti-mask-laws-to-target-pro-palestine-protesters

From Middle Tennessee State University, Free Speech Center:
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/anti-mask-laws-mask-bans/

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

There are two reasons that I can think of...

Don't forget the idiots who think it will save them from COVID.

 

[quincy]

Don't forget the idiots who think it will save them from COVID.

Face masks were not used to “save” anyone from Covid but rather to help prevent its spread.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Don't forget the idiots who think it will save them from COVID.

Although some far right wingers refuse to believe the science, masks can help prevent the wearer from spreading disease if the user has it, and may also help the wearer avoid infection, too. The mask is, of course, not an absolute guarantee that transmission won't occur, but there is evidence that use of masks does slow the transmission. The CDC explains the utility of mask on its page Masks and Respiratory Viruses Prevention it as follows:

Wearing a mask can help lower the risk of respiratory virus transmission. When worn by a person with an infection, masks reduce the spread of the virus to others. Masks can also protect wearers from breathing in infectious particles from people around them. Different masks offer different levels of protection. Wearing the most protective one you can comfortably wear for extended periods of time that fits well (completely covering the nose and mouth) is the most effective option.​

Thus those who believe that masks may help prevent them from getting a respiratory illness or prevent them from spreading those diseases are not "idiots". There are indeed scientific studies that back it up. They are not as effective as some claimed during Covid but the fact that they are not 100% effective doesn't mean there is no value to wearing them during a severe outbreak of disease.

 

[quincy]

Since Covid was mentioned, it can be noted that the new Covid vaccines are now available in most areas of the country. It is a good time to get a flu shot, too.

 

[Bali Hai Again]

Free COVID test kits will be available at end of September. I always wear a mask in public even at my bank with no problems. My doctor does as well.

 

[quincy]

Free COVID test kits will be available at end of September. I always wear a mask in public even at my bank with no problems. My doctor does as well.

Even where there are anti-mask laws in states, these typically have exceptions for masks worn for medical reasons, holiday masks on Halloween, cold-weather masks for outdoor workers, face-coverings worn for religious reasons, etc.

In some countries, wearing masks is commonplace, especially in areas where air pollution is a problem. It has been primarily in the U.S. that medical mask-wearing has been controversial. A segment of the population got it into their heads that wearing masks robbed them of their freedom or that it prevented breathing properly or it was harmful or … well, there was a lot of nonsense circulating during the pandemic and this nonsense probably contributed to the high number of Covid cases and resulting deaths.

What is puzzling is that many of those who protested mask mandates are the same ones who think nothing of parading around with balaclavas, worn to protect them from being identified by neighbors, coworkers, employers or law enforcement officers.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4868614/