As anyone who’s been arrested can tell you, your mugshot is immediately released to the public in most states, even if you haven’t been convicted of a crime.
While this can create some pretty interesting content (shout out to the good people at Mugshawtys), it’s also pretty messed-up. You can get that public indecency case thrown out, but you’ve still gotta live with having your name and face tied to a crime you were never convicted of committing.
That’s why some states, like California, have made efforts to keep criminals’ identities anonymous until they’re convicted. The problem with this is that cops love posting on social media. So what’s a clout-hungry officer to do?
Use LEGO heads, it seems.
In this Facebook post from the Murrieta Police Department in California, the department tells the story of what sounds like a particularly stupid criminal. According to the officers, the man had stolen an iPhone and then ran away with it. He was later apprehended owing to the phone’s tracking feature, at which point it was discovered that he had written a to-do list that included the phrase “sell iPhone.” What a gem!
The man was charged with grand theft as well as possession of stolen property, and all stolen items were returned to the victims. His photo was then posted online with a LEGO head.
As per a post from the police department, they decided to use LEGO heads to cover criminals’ faces so they could comply with the new law while continuing to engagement farm, er, I mean, “keep the community informed.”
“The Murrieta Police Department prides itself in its transparency with the community, but also honors everyone’s rights & protections as afforded by law; even suspects,” the agency wrote. “In order to share what is happening in Murrieta, we chose to cover the faces of suspects to protect their identity while still aligning with the new law.”
Maybe just stop posting on social media altogether, but if you’re going to do it, I guess this method works.
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