5 ms·

Lego head mugshots add to California's debate on policing and privacy

31 points by rolph 3y ago

darby_eight 3y ago
As far as I am aware, there are few legal directions as to what the police are supposed to do (or how they are supposed to engage in this behavior) at all under either federal or California law. Instead, we have specific protections carved out for specific situations under which police are forbidden to engage in specific behavior. Please, anyone, correct me if I am wrong. This seems to be the natural result of said reluctance: dehumanizing behavior with no apparent benefit to society except for the sadistic joy of the perpetrators.
- zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
  Mugshots are a benefit to the public. I can think of 2 instances where it has been beneficial to me. I found out I was working with a guy who had been in prison for threatening to murder a lawmaker and another time found out I was working with a convicted rapist who was facing more child rape charges. The mugshots confirmed that it was these guys, they both had somewhat common names.
  - darby_eight 3y ago
    > Mugshots are benefit to the public. I'm not saying there is no possible benefit at all if the suspects are eventually convicted, but the motivation behind them seems to be another degree of public punishment arbitrarily inflicted by police. For one thing, you openly admit that you use the mugshots to "confirm" the identity of someone with common names despite not confirming that the same individual was actually convicted of said crimes.
    - peddling-brink 3y ago
      But they were convicted, according to the comment you are replying to.
      - darby_eight 3y ago
        Perhaps! But a mugshot is only evidence of arrest, not of conviction.
    - zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
      This was after these guys had already left prison. Confirmation of conviction was easy. The rapist has since been convicted of the rape he was accused of while he was working with me. But he had already been convicted for another rape and did his time before being hired. Not sure how these guys slipped past the background check
      - zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
        Aaron, first of all, I didn't doxx anyone. It was another guy who had looked them up. The guy who went to prison for the death threat had been making some weird, somewhat threatening, comments to people and one of the other guys did a Google search on him. The rapist, pretty sure he was found out because that same guy was just looking up everyone on the shift. Anyway, I don't like working with rapists and crazy people who threaten to murder politicians. aaron695 1 minute ago [dead] | parent | prev | next [–] > I can think of 2 instances where it has been beneficial to me. You seem clueless doxxing workmates makes you a piece of shit..... We all do it at times, I certainly don't with friends at work just ones I want to hurt. But it's nothing to be proud of and it's not a benefit to the public, just you. Not entirely clear why it was of benefit to you either, maybe you enjoyed the doxxing? Either way mugshots are not there for your sport.
  - aaron695 3y ago
    > I can think of 2 instances where it has been beneficial to me. You seem clueless doxxing workmates makes you a piece of shit..... We all do it at times, and one would guess you didn't just do it twice, but I certainly don't to friends at work, just ones I want to hurt. But it's nothing to be proud of and it's not a benefit to the public, just you. Not entirely clear why it was of benefit to you either, maybe you enjoyed the doxxing? Either way mugshots are not there for your sport, and you've made no case it was good for the public.
Supermancho 3y ago
Might I recommend the recent Show HN: Ugly Avatar? https://txstc55.github.io/ugly-avatar/ https://txstc55.github.io/ugly-avatar/
sschueller 3y ago
"We are currently exploring other methods to continue publishing our content in a way that is engaging and interesting to our followers" Maybe they should focus on policing instead of trying to please some voyeur public sadistic interest in seeing other suffering. Especially since the last time I checked "you are innocent until proven guilty"!
- rokkitmensch 3y ago
  Nah, they're driving community engagement, dontchaknow?! The sadism is a /side benefit/.
lemper 3y ago
bro, if you resort to dehumanising behaviour to do "community engagement", then there's something really wrong with you and/or your community. pretty sure fixing the problem is your top-most priority, yea? cops gotta protect and serve.

31 points by rolph 3y ago

As far as I am aware, there are few legal directions as to what the police are supposed to do (or how they are supposed to engage in this behavior) at all under either federal or California law. Instead, we have specific protections carved out for specific situations under which police are forbidden to engage in specific behavior. Please, anyone, correct me if I am wrong. This seems to be the natural result of said reluctance: dehumanizing behavior with no apparent benefit to society except for the sadistic joy of the perpetrators.

zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
Mugshots are a benefit to the public. I can think of 2 instances where it has been beneficial to me. I found out I was working with a guy who had been in prison for threatening to murder a lawmaker and another time found out I was working with a convicted rapist who was facing more child rape charges. The mugshots confirmed that it was these guys, they both had somewhat common names.
- darby_eight 3y ago
  > Mugshots are benefit to the public. I'm not saying there is no possible benefit at all if the suspects are eventually convicted, but the motivation behind them seems to be another degree of public punishment arbitrarily inflicted by police. For one thing, you openly admit that you use the mugshots to "confirm" the identity of someone with common names despite not confirming that the same individual was actually convicted of said crimes.
  - peddling-brink 3y ago
    But they were convicted, according to the comment you are replying to.
    - darby_eight 3y ago
      Perhaps! But a mugshot is only evidence of arrest, not of conviction.
  - zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
    This was after these guys had already left prison. Confirmation of conviction was easy. The rapist has since been convicted of the rape he was accused of while he was working with me. But he had already been convicted for another rape and did his time before being hired. Not sure how these guys slipped past the background check
    - zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
      Aaron, first of all, I didn't doxx anyone. It was another guy who had looked them up. The guy who went to prison for the death threat had been making some weird, somewhat threatening, comments to people and one of the other guys did a Google search on him. The rapist, pretty sure he was found out because that same guy was just looking up everyone on the shift. Anyway, I don't like working with rapists and crazy people who threaten to murder politicians. aaron695 1 minute ago [dead] | parent | prev | next [–] > I can think of 2 instances where it has been beneficial to me. You seem clueless doxxing workmates makes you a piece of shit..... We all do it at times, I certainly don't with friends at work just ones I want to hurt. But it's nothing to be proud of and it's not a benefit to the public, just you. Not entirely clear why it was of benefit to you either, maybe you enjoyed the doxxing? Either way mugshots are not there for your sport.
- aaron695 3y ago
  > I can think of 2 instances where it has been beneficial to me. You seem clueless doxxing workmates makes you a piece of shit..... We all do it at times, and one would guess you didn't just do it twice, but I certainly don't to friends at work, just ones I want to hurt. But it's nothing to be proud of and it's not a benefit to the public, just you. Not entirely clear why it was of benefit to you either, maybe you enjoyed the doxxing? Either way mugshots are not there for your sport, and you've made no case it was good for the public.

Supermancho 3y ago

Might I recommend the recent Show HN: Ugly Avatar? https://txstc55.github.io/ugly-avatar/ https://txstc55.github.io/ugly-avatar/

sschueller 3y ago

"We are currently exploring other methods to continue publishing our content in a way that is engaging and interesting to our followers" Maybe they should focus on policing instead of trying to please some voyeur public sadistic interest in seeing other suffering. Especially since the last time I checked "you are innocent until proven guilty"!

rokkitmensch 3y ago
Nah, they're driving community engagement, dontchaknow?! The sadism is a /side benefit/.

lemper 3y ago

bro, if you resort to dehumanising behaviour to do "community engagement", then there's something really wrong with you and/or your community. pretty sure fixing the problem is your top-most priority, yea? cops gotta protect and serve.