Utica, NY: Mugshots of those Arrested Will No Longer be Published

Regular readers know that I joke here about how little information is available when immigrants (aka new Americans) are arrested for a crime.  Rarely do we learn the nationality or immigration status of the perp.

Ann Coulter has said you need a “secret decoder ring” to figure out the bare minimum when a ‘new American’ is involved in criminal activity, but sometimes the mugshot is helpful.
Unfortunately, in Utica, NY and probably all of the state of New York, those arrested are entitled to privacy say Democrat political leaders.  And, we will have even less information!
By the way, longtime readers of my other blog, Refugee Resettlement Watch, will recognize Utica as it was an oft mentioned important resettlement city. The UN even featured it as the city that loves refugees.  Go here for many stories about Utica.

Here is the news from News Channel 2 (hat tip: Chris),

UTICA POLICE WILL NO LONGER RELEASE MUGSHOTS FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF NEW BILL

 

UTICA, N.Y.– The Utica Police Department and State Police will no longer release mugshots to the public or news media outlets, after state lawmakers voted to ban the photos during the executive budget.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo told WAMC in January that the goal of the ban is to prevent companies from publishing the photos online and charging a fee to have the photo removed. The Utica Police Department has been releasing mugshots through Facebook for years, but will not continue to do so.
“We had an internal discussions about it” said Mark Williams, police chief of the Utica Police Department. “The reason why we’re going to start to practice now is that based on the intent of the law and the fact that there’s going to be signed into law very shortly it’s good that we started out and get ready for it rather than enact later on.”
But Williams said the department will still release mugshots for specific cases.
“It will be done on a case-by-case basis as long as it’s investigative in nature,” he said. “I think will be all right releasing that booking photograph in those instances.”
[….]

But the New York State Broadcasters Association released a statement concerning transparency.

“We are concerned the proposal will have a chilling effect on the release of information that is essential to the public interest. This information involves police activity and is a matter of public record. Communities have a right to know about those who have been accused of criminal activity. To avoid “secret arrests,” families and friends of those arrested should have access to this information.”

The association said that other states, such as California, have addressed the the issue of companies exploitating (sic) people by enacting laws that make it a crime to demand money in exchange for removing a mugshot. [Makes sense!—ed]

More here.

Watch for a move like this coming to your ‘Progressive’ state.