When the 2019-2020 New York State budget was adopted earlier this week, it included legislation that would ban the practice of police from releasing a defendants arrest photo, commonly called a mugshot. This site, for example, has routinely used them. Trooper James O'Callaghan is the Public Information Officer for Troop A (WNY). He issued this statement: "Effective immediately, NYSP will NOT include mugshots in press
releases, and they will not be provided to media when requested. This is
due to the new State Law that effectively bans the release of booking
photos. NYSP will be able to release mugshots for specific law
enforcement purposes only. One example would be if we were searching for
a wanted or missing person, of which we have a booking photo from a
previous arrest."
According to WGRZ, Allegany County Sheriff Rick Whitney has not decided on a policy, noting that he is discussing the issue with the county attorney. Niagara County is the only sheriff's office in Western New York to affirmatively say they will continue to release most mugshots.
In Wellsville, Police Chief Tim O'Grady said this afternoon that his department will "continue business as usual (i.e. releasing mugshots)...until he is notified by the state" on an actual effective date for the law.
