Online, mug shots are forever – some states want to change that

Post by throwaway0a5e » Fri, May 14, 2021, 9:10 PM UTC

akudha wrote: post #60

whatshisface wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can change the law, but there's no plausible path towards making people less judgemental. It's like saying, "speed limits are misguided, what we really need is a culture of safe driving."

It is both. Speed limits work because majority of the people respect them. Cops can’t control the entire population, if majority choose to misbehave. This is what it feels like online. People seem to relish in posting other’s misfortune, mistakes etc with little consequences. They do things online that they wouldn’t dare to do in real life. If the attitude doesn’t change, no amount of laws would help

Post by ARandomerDude » Fri, May 14, 2021, 9:14 PM UTC

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #67

aspaceman wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My local police department posts mugshots on their Twitter, sends copies to the local newspaper, and types up a detailed report for the local radio station for _every_ _single_ _interaction_. "John Doe was pulled over by X police Saturday afternoon for a speeding violation. Jane Y was ..." And every Sunday, the local station plays these. So you know every single person who was pulled over. The vehicle they drive. Etc…

This isn't a "small town" thing. This is a "rich enough to afford a police department bigger than they need so the police can justify spending the man hours on BS" town thing. It happens in plenty of medium sized towns and small cities. If the cops were stretched thin busting meth labs or dealing with Real Crime(TM) they wouldn't be doing that.

Post by _ea1k » Fri, May 14, 2021, 9:19 PM UTC

errantspark wrote: post #5

I wonder in the discussions surrounding these sorts of things (Right to be Forgotten, etc) if the issue isn't that there should be a right to be forgotten but rather that culturally we should be far far more tolerant of people fucking up. It feels like the perception of how much the average member of society transgresses its rules is totally out of sync with reality, though this may be by design to create space for e…

Post by powersnail » Fri, May 14, 2021, 9:25 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #40

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> culturally we should The problem with that is that such a "should" doesn't change the "are", and that it's unlikely to change any time soon. So we need to acknowledge reality and try to find a fix that works within that reality.

The reality is that one is innocent until proven guilty. I'm not interested in weakening this fundamental right to accommodate people who are uncomfortable admitting the fallibility of the police or our justice system. That people think if the cops arrest you, you're no longer innocent is the way bigger issue here.

Post by throwaway0a5e » Fri, May 14, 2021, 9:25 PM UTC

m463 wrote: post #71

dragonwriter wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> for _every_ _single_ _interaction_. I bet not, and that there is considerable selectivity (both based on legal mandates and police discretion) as to which interactions are reported and which facts about them are reported. Reporting a lot, however, is a good way of creating the impression that everything is being reported.

Yes, a simple traffic stop will not lead to a mugshot. A severe driving incident and an impounded car might. As to just reporting incidents, I would imagine reporting non-convictions might be illegal. (though the people looking for say minority harassment might love the public data)