On the 12th day of Facebook, Facebook gave to me, 12 pouters pouting, 11 pokers poking, 10 haters hating, 9 “friends” I’m blocking, 8 attention seekers, 7 stalkers stalking, 6 invitations, fiiiiiiiiiiiiive drama queeeensssss, 4 game requests, 3 photo tags, 2 friends requests and a drunk driving mugshot?!?!
The Chesterfield, Virginia Sheriff’s Office recently began posting mugshots of people arrested in the county for drunk driving. “[We] began posting DUI arrest photos in January in an effort to bring awareness to impaired driving in our community,” Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office Captain Donald Huff said. After posting 22 DUI mugshots on January 21 and 12 mugshots on January 28, the Sheriff’s Office created a mugshot collage video for its latest entry. They plan to continue posting the photos and videos on Facebook every Thursday.
The response from the citizens has been overwhelmingly positive,” Captain Huff said. “We hope that the practice of posting the photos will serve as an additional deterrent to driving while intoxicated.” Several comments posted on the Chesterfield Sheriff’s Office Facebook page offered opinions on the practice. One astute observer noted: “I understand these pics are public record, but consider the effect this can have on someone later acquitted,” a commented named Robbie posted. “Even if they get their record legally expunged, you’ve memorialized their arrest forever.”
The Chesterfield Sheriff’s Office graciously reminds viewers that all mug shot subjects are innocent until proven guilty in court.