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U.S. NEWS Saturday 15 July 2017

Should police be allowed to shame suspects on Facebook?

some airborne, before her course!!” ally made mugshots and
car left the road, tore up Many commenters praised details on suspects avail-
a lawn and came to rest police. “Great job (getting able to journalists for pub-
among trees. When police drunks off the road and en- lication. But journalists, for
arrived, she asked them to tertaining us),” one woman the most part, selectively
call a tow truck so she and wrote. choose to write stories and
a male companion “could But others said the tone use mugshots based on the
be on their way,” Roderick was inappropriate. severity or unusual nature
wrote. “Hey Taunton Police De- of the crime. Many crimes
“Sorry Amy, we can’t move partment ... Your holier than don’t get any coverage.
the car right now. If we do, thou attitude is part of the Roderick said everything
what will you use to hold reason why people don’t he wrote in the posting
yourself up?” he wrote. like/don’t respect police,” about Rebello-McCarthy
Roderick described how one man wrote. was true.
she told police she had a Rebello-McCarthy, who “I guess I don’t see a prob-
In this Tuesday, July 11, 2017, photo Taunton police Lt. Paul Rod- lizard. has pleaded not guilty to lem with it,” he said in an
erick sits behind his desk at police headquarters in Taunton, “Where does one hold a drunken driving and other interview.
Mass. Police departments are increasingly using Facebook Bearded Dragon Lizard charges, did not respond “Can you go too far? I
to inform the community about what they’re doing and who while driving you ask? An- to attempts for comment. guess you could. I don’t
they’re arresting. Some add a little humor to the mix. Civil rights swer: In their brassiere of Police have tradition-
advocates complain that posting mugshots and written, pe- think I did. q
jorative descriptions of suspects amounts to public shaming.
Roderick recently wrote and posted an account of the arrest of
Amy Rebello-McCarthy.
(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

By DENISE LAVOIE worst day,” said Arisha
AP Legal Affairs Writer Hatch, campaign director
BOSTON (AP) — A driver of Color of Change, a civil
mows down six mailboxes, rights advocacy organiza-
slurs her words and tells po- tion that recently got Phila-
lice she has a lizard in her delphia police to stop post-
bra. Throw in a wisecrack- ing mugshots on its Spe-
ing police officer, and what cial Operations Facebook
do you get? A flippant post page.
on Facebook, along with “The impact of having a
photos of the woman, and mugshot posted on social
of course, her lizard. media for all to see can
Not everyone is amused. be incredibly damaging
Police departments are in- for folks that are parents,
creasingly using Facebook for folks that have jobs, for
to inform the community folks that have lives they
about what they’re doing have to come back to,”
and who they’re arresting. she said.
Some add a little humor to In Taunton, a city of 57,000
the mix. But civil rights ad- about 40 miles south of
vocates say posting mug- Boston, the police depart-
shots and written, pejora- ment’s post about the
tive descriptions of suspects woman with a lizard in her
amounts to public shaming bra was shared around
of people who have not Facebook and got heavy
yet been convicted. news coverage.
“It makes them the butt of Lt. Paul Roderick wrote
a joke on what for many that Amy Rebello-McCar-
people is probably their thy hit mailboxes, sending