ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers are looking to crack down on publications and websites that profit by posting mugshots.
“So, we have people out there that think that mugshots are entertainment,” State Senator Brian Strickland (R-McDonough) said.
Senate Bill 482 would block sites like the Georgia Gazette from mass mugshot requests.
The bill says, “Requests for booking photographs shall be made in person” and “as separate requests for each booking photograph.”
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In a 2023 Channel 2 Action News investigation, we told you about the Georgia Gazette.
It is an online-only publication that scrapes data from sheriff’s offices across the state to post all booking photos, even misdemeanors in 80 Georgia counties.
The Georgia Gazette even puts its watermark on those public documents.
In 2023, LaShawn Pressley lost her job as a home health nurse when her clients saw her on The Georgia Gazette.
“It’s my livelihood. It’s my life,” said Pressley.
She had three speeding tickets settled by paying a small fine. But that information isn’t on The Georgia Gazette, just a mugshot and the words “failure to appear for a finger-printable charge - misdemeanor.”
“I lost a job. And I lost a capability even of finding another one,” said Pressley.
“This is not meant to impact 99% of the people out there. This is meant to go after those that are abusing the system, that are overworking our sheriffs, trying to make money off images and ruining people’s lives,” Strickland said.
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Just last week, we told you how 23-year-old Jarrett Franco Modica was charged in Cobb County for a felony crime he did not commit.
The Cobb County District Attorney issued an official warrant dismissal for a stolen gun charge for a firearm Modica bought legally.
But his mug shot is still on the Georgia Gazette.
“You don’t want a mugshot just posted out here. You don’t want that still lingering over you years to come,” Modica said.
The Georgia Gazette does have a portal to remove mugshots and says it follows Georgia law for removals.
But Senator Strickland wants the law to have more protections for Georgians.
“That follows someone the rest of their life. That can affect them getting a job and obviously affect their family from here on out,” Strickland said.
The bill passed committee and is scheduled for a vote by the full Senate this week.
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