California is a crime-ridden progressive object lesson, one its residents are fleeing in massive numbers. And who's allegedly committing all the crimes? In one Golden State locale, it's apparently caused by plastic brick mini-figures.
Welcome to Murrieta, California, a SoCal city of over 100,000 residents. According to Neighborhood Scout, a website that tracks local statistics for use by potential homebuyers or renters, "[t]he crime rate in Murrieta is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America," with residents standing a 1 in 65 chance of being the victim of some sort of crime.
When criminal suspects get around to being arrested and charged there, however, officials want residents to know that, thanks to a new privacy law in the state, they'll be covering the mug shots with faces of Lego figurines.
"On January 1st, a new law went into effect that restricts the how and when law enforcement agencies in California share suspect photos & mugshots," the police department stated on Instagram.
"The new law, Assembly Bill 994 & Penal Code 13665, now prohibits law enforcement from sharing suspect photos for nonviolent crimes, unless specified circumstances exist. Additionally, the new law requires agencies to remove suspect mugshots from social media after 14 days, unless special circumstances exist.
"The Murrieta Police Department prides itself in its transparency with the community, but also honors everyone's rights & protections as afforded by law; even suspects. 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."
Fair enough, perhaps -- but this?
