Southern California police are using Photoshopped Lego heads as a way to protect suspects’ identities in social media posts due to a new state law.
The Murrieta Police Department (MPD) is featuring several Facebook and Instagram posts of the suspect wearing a Lego head. The post shows the suspect in images from various scenes where the arrests were made. The police social media team photoshopped various facial expressions to replace the faces on the Lego blocks.
One image posted to the department’s Instagram account shows the suspect kneeling during what appears to be an arrest. A Lego block head photoshopped into a man has a shocked expression on his face when he sees the person standing in front of him.
“Last week, officers participated in a game of #hide-and-seek in the area of Madison Avenue and Murrieta Hot Springs Road. Fortunately for officers, they were able to locate the suspect using GPS. ,” the post says. “Ultimately, the suspect was arrested and booked into the Bird House on charges including grand larceny, possession of stolen property, and unlawful possession of pepper spray, as he is a convicted felon.”
Another image showed two suspects sitting in the back of a police vehicle after being handcuffed by authorities. One of the men is given a Lego head with an angry expression on his face. The other one has a tearful, sad expression on one side of Lego’s face.
“Officers were recently dispatched to a report of shoplifting in the area of Madison Avenue and Murrieta Hot Springs Road. “He said he stole a full shopping cart and left the store without paying,” the post said. “We checked the records of the two men and found that they were both on probation for weapons charges and, you guessed it, theft charges. A search of the vehicle revealed all items stolen from the store. , drugs, paraphernalia, burglary tools and methamphetamine were found. Both men were arrested and booked into #ByrdHouse on various charges.”
The police department recently posted a lineup of suspects with Lego heads and explained why the department’s social media needs to protect the identities of those arrested.
A new law for blue states, Assembly Bill 994 and Penal Code 13665, goes into effect on January 1 and states that it “allows law enforcement agencies to share photos of suspects of nonviolent crimes unless certain circumstances exist.” , MPD said. In addition to banning photos from being posted, California regulations require law enforcement to remove all suspect photos from social media after 14 days, unless there are special circumstances.
“The Murrieta Police Department prides itself on transparency with the community, but we also respect the rights and protections of everyone afforded by law, even suspects. To share, we have decided to obscure the suspect’s face to protect his identity while complying with the new law,” MPD said.
