LEGO Urges Cops To Stop Plastering Toy Heads On Suspect Photos
Photo 171510139 © Maxandrew | Dreamstime.com
LEGO brick by LEGO brick, the Murrieta Police Department in California has been forced to disassemble its social media strategy. The division recently garnered national attention for its creative practice of obscuring suspects’ faces in social media posts with—you guessed it—LEGO heads.
This lighthearted approach stemmed from a recent California law restricting the release of mugshots and suspect photos for non-violent crimes until the individuals were convicted. Faced with a public desire for transparency and legal limitations on identification, the Murrieta PD opted for a playful solution.
California has a new law that bans police from posting photos of crime suspects.
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 20, 2024
Murrieta Police will now post the images and cover their faces with Lego: pic.twitter.com/FELyoPv9SA
While the LEGO heads captured the public’s imagination, it turns out the LEGO Group itself wasn’t amused. On March 19, the toy company politely requested the department cease using its copyrighted characters. The Murrieta PD readily complied, acknowledging LEGO’s intellectual property rights.
According to Lt Jeremy Durrant, the LEGO Group reached out and “respectfully asked us to refrain from using their intellectual property in our social media content,” he told Fox News. “Of course we understand and will comply.”
With the retirement of the minifigure heads, the department now faces the challenge of finding a new way to balance transparency with suspect privacy in its socials.
[via Gizmodo and Associated Press, images via various sources]
