• Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Jobs
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

California bans police from posting mugshots on social media

Assembly Bill 1475 applies to images of nonviolent crime suspects

August 2, 2021
Law OfficerbyLaw Officer
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

Sacramento, California – Law enforcement across California will no longer be able to post mugshots over social media following an arrest. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the new state law last week, keeping police from publicizing information on suspects who have been accused of crimes.

Assembly Bill 1475 prevents law enforcement agencies from posting mugshots of people arrested for nonviolent crimes on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The bill’s author, Evan Low, D-Campbell, drafted the bill after what he described as an alarming trend where police and sheriff’s departments were posting mugshots in order to “shame” suspects, with no real public safety purpose behind the postings.

Low said that the coerced photos tended to attach guilt to the person before they have gone through due process.

“These mug shots are often unflattering and do nothing to warn the public of an ongoing public safety threat, as the suspect is already in custody at the time of posting. Instead, their purpose is to shame and ridicule,” Low wrote in a statement to the Senate Committee on Public Safety.

Law enforcement agencies and news media have regularly published mugshots for years, but what’s changed is the reach of social media and the quick dissemination of arrestee photos. Low said these mugshots can have “devastating consequences.” Low said these mugshots can also perpetuate racial stereotypes, overstating the propensity of communities of color to commit crimes.

The King County Deputy Sheriff’s Association said that the bill takes away “a valuable tool” from law enforcement agencies “and provides another perk for being a criminal.”

Last year, the San Francisco Police Department stopped releasing the mugshots for most people that officers arrest, with Police Chief Bill Scott noting that the change was made with racial justice in mind.

“This policy emerges from compelling research suggesting that the widespread publication of police booking photos in the news and on social media creates an illusory correlation for viewers that fosters racial bias and vastly overstates the propensity of black and brown men to engage in criminal behavior,” Scott said in a statement following the decision.

Ironically, the law does not affect anyone else from posting mugshots, which remain available through open record requests to the public.


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: AB 1475Californiamugshotspolice reform
Law Officer

Law Officer

Law Officer is the only major law enforcement publication and website owned and operated by law enforcement—for law enforcement and supporters of justice, law, and order. This unique facet makes Law Officer much more than just a publishing company, but a true advocate for the law enforcement profession.

Related Posts

Police department offers gas money for gun buyback

May 23, 2022
Peter Morales

California teacher booked for child molestation

May 20, 2022
Ryan Blinston

California ‘serial killer’ convicted of multiple homicides

May 19, 2022
Beverly Hills motor officer

Beverly Hills motor officer drops bike to capture fleeing suspect

May 19, 2022
drug smuggling tunnel

Sophisticated drug smuggling tunnel discovered between San Diego and Tijuana

May 17, 2022
John Cheng

Doctor killed in church shooting hailed a hero

May 16, 2022
Load More

Latest Articles

Payton Gendron

Buffalo killer wrote things in manifesto that will help defend future shootings like Uvalde

May 28, 2022
school shootings

More people die in one day from drug overdose deaths than 22 years of school shootings

May 28, 2022
Isimemen Etute

Former Virginia Tech football player acquitted of mistaken-gender-identity murder of Tinder date

May 28, 2022

High Risk – High Reward

May 27, 2022

DPS Colonel admits the “wrong decision” was made by not entering classroom sooner

May 27, 2022
Fox News (Screenshot)

Sister of Uvalde police officer says cops ‘did not retreat’

May 27, 2022
Load More

Weekly E-Newsletter

Subscribe—and get the latest news and editorials direct from Law Officer each week!

[newsletter_form type="minimal"]

MUST READ

Payton Gendron

Buffalo killer wrote things in manifesto that will help defend future shootings like Uvalde

May 28, 2022
school shootings

More people die in one day from drug overdose deaths than 22 years of school shootings

May 28, 2022

High Risk – High Reward

May 27, 2022

DPS Colonel admits the “wrong decision” was made by not entering classroom sooner

May 27, 2022
Miah Cerrillo

11-year-old survivor of Uvalde massacre says she wiped blood on herself and played dead

May 27, 2022
Load More

JOIN THE FIGHT

SAFEGUARD RECRUITING

Police Officers Needed – Entry level and lateral applicants wanted!

February 14, 2022

Deputy Sheriff

February 3, 2022

Dispatcher

January 25, 2022

Deputy Sheriff (POST Certified)

January 25, 2022

BE COURAGEOUS

FIND MORE…

Law Officer

© 2021 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Jobs
  • Contact

© 2021 LawOfficer.com