Police in California are using a creative solution to hide the identity of some suspects by covering their faces with Lego heads during photo and mugshot bookings.
The Murrieta Police Department said Monday that the placement of the Lego faces is an effort to comply with a state law that prohibits law enforcement from sharing images of suspects arrested for nonviolent crimes on social media.
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A lineup is shown with the suspect’s face covered with a Lego head. The Murrieta Police Department has found a creative way to hide the faces of criminal suspects arrested for non-violent crimes. (Murrieta Police Department)
The law (Assembly Bill 994 and Penal Code 13665) also requires photographs of suspects posted on social media to be deleted 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,” the department said in a Facebook post.
A police spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Metropolitan Police Department began using Lego faces to hide the faces of some criminal suspects long before the law took effect on January 1st. .
“In order to keep residents updated on local security, and at the same time respect new regulations, we have concealed the faces of suspects in our social media posts in a variety of ways. It’s something we do and it’s not new for us.”
A social media post from the Murrieta Police Department shows two suspects with their faces covered with Lego heads. (Murrieta Police Department)
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In November, the ministry announced it would no longer post images of those arrested due to the presumption of innocence and the impact posting would have on the individuals and their families.
