California police decide to hide suspect identities with Lego heads

One California police department has a creative solution to a new state law requiring that the rights of suspected criminals be protected: hide their identity with Lego heads. The Murrieta Police Department has taken to releasing photos of arrests, mugshots and lineups with giant Lego heads superimposed over the top, complete with inappropriate and hilarious facial expressions. The photographs were released on the department’s Instagram page, complete with an explainer: ‘In order to share what is happening in Murrieta, we chose to cover the faces of suspects to protect their identity while still aligning with the new law.’ That new law forbids police from releasing the identity of non-violent suspects, which has many supporters, but commentators are still divided on whether releasing novelty pictures featuring children’s toys is appropriate for law enforcement agencies. Or what the point of the pictures is, if it isn’t to warn people of potential ne’er-do-wells. Fortunately, if you don’t like the Lego heads, Murrieta PD has an answer – they do Shrek and Barbie mugshots too.