Police Department Resorts To Using LEGO Heads To Conceal Suspects’ Faces
Image via Murrieta Police Department
Heads up! At the Murrieta Police Department, mugshots have gotten a brick-tastic makeover. The branch has been using LEGO heads to anonymize individuals in booking photos, a creative solution that complies with a new California law while earning a few smiles.
According to the division, on January 1, the California Assembly Bill 994 took effect, restricting how law enforcement agencies can share suspect mugshots. This rollout aims to protect privacy and prevent potential prejudice before trial, particularly for non-violent offenses, ensuring that a person’s identity is safeguarded until, and unless, they are legally convicted.
Moreover, this legislation mandates that any suspect photos shared on social media must be taken down within 14 days unless exceptional circumstances warrant their continued public display.
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To stay within these bounds, while keeping the community alert about local incidents and arrests, the Murrieta Police Department has opted to turn nabbed individuals into minifigures of sorts. Enter the LEGO heads! By playfully obscuring identities with everyone’s favorite childhood toys, these law enforcers can still reveal booking information and details about arrests. This transparency is key for the department, which emphasizes its commitment to both public safety and individual rights in a social media post.
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“The Murrieta Police Department prides itself in its transparency with the community, but also honors everyone’s rights and protections as afforded by law; even suspects,” it outlines. “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.”
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You’ll see these cartoonish figures looking shocked and tearful, sometimes even bearing a smirk, in some of the city’s arrest shots. The Murrieta PD is surely thinking outside the brick box.
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[via KTLA and BNN Breaking, images via Murrieta Police Department]
