There is a bill advancing in the Louisiana legislature that would prohibit the release of booking photos (mug shots) prior to conviction. I'm not sure how I feel about tht.
On the one hand, arrest records are pubic information, subject to public inspection. As a rookie officer I was taught that arrest records are public because we are not the KGB, and if we arrest someone, we don't make a secret of it, and the booking photo is a part of that record.
On the other hand, I understand that arrested persons are not yet convicted of anything, so a presumption of innocence applies. Many news outlets splash booking photos across the headlines, causing problems for people who are later acquitted.
I see both sides of the argument, and I'm willing to be convinced.
If release were limited to publicly run locations, I'd be okay with it, but the way these photos are used and abused by private sources concerns me.
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