Police department finds creative solution to circumvent new law and sticks Lego heads on photos of suspects

Police in the American state of California are no longer allowed to simply share photos of suspects on social media. So the Murrieta Police Department, which prides itself on transparency, has found a creative way to get around the new legislation.

A new law went into effect in California on January 1 that limits how and when police can share photos of suspects. With some exceptions, police departments are no longer allowed to publish photos of suspects in non-violent crimes.

“The Murrieta Police Department prides itself on transparency with the community, but also respects everyone’s rights, even those of suspects,” the southern California city’s police department wrote. “To share what is happening in Murrieta, we chose to cover the faces of suspects to protect their identities while still complying with the new law,” the statement said.

The way those faces are covered is quite original: with the heads of Lego figures. The police even seem to have so much fun editing the photos that they always look for Lego heads with facial expressions that exactly fit the situation.

In any case, the sad or crying faces are popular on social media. “I follow this page purely for the Lego faces,” one Facebook user wrote under a post from the police department. “This will only last until Legoland files a complaint,” fears another.