A police force will have to stop using the heads of Lego figures to cover faces when sharing arrest footage on social media, after the toy company ordered it to respect its “intellectual property”.
“Of course we understand and we will respect (the request). We are currently exploring other methods to continue publishing our content in a way that is engaging and interesting to our subscribers,” Lt. Jeremy Durrant of the Murrieta Police Department said in a statement, according to “The Independent” on Tuesday.
Last week, the California police shared an explanatory post to inform its subscribers as to why it used Lego figurine heads to camouflage the faces of suspects during its posts.
According to a new law in force since January 1 in the American state, it is now prohibited to share images of suspects of non-violent crimes, except under certain exceptions, indicated the English media.
Because experts have noted a battery of negative effects when sharing images online, both for suspects awaiting their trial, who find themselves presumed guilty in the collective mind through these photos on social networks, as well as for those who wish to rebuild their lives after their time in the justice system.
Thus, since the beginning of 2023, the Murrieta police have chosen to use Lego figurines, which come with a range of facial expressions, to remain “transparent” with the population, while respecting the rights of all, “ even suspects,” she boasted on Facebook.
But the publication that went viral did not please the toy manufacturer, who “respectfully” contacted the police to ask them to stop using the popular figurines.
Lego did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.
