Newark Police Revamp Mugshot Policy After Viral Social Media Post

NEWARK, NJ — The largest city in New Jersey is making a big change when it comes to releasing “mugshots” of suspects, Newark’s top cop says.

On Monday evening, Newark Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara announced that the Newark Police Department will no longer post photos of people accused of committing “minor offenses.”

That includes the department’s Facebook page, which currently has 16,000 followers, and its Twitter page, which has 12,600.

When a person’s mugshot is published online, it can hurt their chances of finding housing or landing a job long after the charges were issued – even if that person is eventually cleared of wrongdoing, O’Hara said.

According to O’Hara, the department will continue to release photos of people accused of violence and crimes that cause “significant harm in the community.” Police will also release photos of suspects when there is a “specific public safety purpose,” which may include:

• Apprehending a fugitive from justice
• Identifying other potential victims
• Identifying a crime suspect
• Locating a missing or endangered person

Newark police said the change in policy was made after the sudden, viral resurgence of a 2017 social media post, which announced the arrest of six women on prostitution-related charges. In all, the post generated more than 9,400 comments, several of which mocked the suspects’ appearances and questioned their mental health.

After learning about the offensive comments, O’Hara immediately ordered the posting to be removed. The new policy was rolled out soon afterwards.

O’Hara said the release of such photos is a modern-day form of “public shaming.” And when the accused are members of a group that has seen a history of hate speech and other judgmental behavior – such as the LGTBQ+ community – the need for some common-sense sensitivity is even more urgent.

Hopefully, the new policy will also help prevent cyber-bullying for suspects who may be developmentally disabled, undocumented, experiencing homeless or mentally ill, O’Hara added.

“Regulating the release of mugshots can help reduce public bias, stereotyping and the stigma associated with the modern-day ‘perp walk,’” O’Hara said.

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