The late great Bobby Fuller told the tale of many people when he penned the classic, “I Fought the Law and the Law Won.” But just because the law got you doesn’t mean that record should be shared with everyone. Especially not when it is shared for the purpose of extortion. This is what many mugshot websites do. They find the mugshots of individuals arrested, often on misdemeanor charges, and then post them to their websites. Then, the only way to get those mugshots removed is by paying a ransom fee.

The good news is that more and more states are making this practice illegal. Only, the onerous is on the individual impacted to find the websites committing this type of fraud and appropriately reporting them. To do that, you first have to find where your mugshot is being posted. Here are three free ways of doing so:

3 Free Ways to Find Your Mugshots

1. Search via Google. Google should be everyone’s first go at finding their mugshots online. After all, Google will be what most others use to find information about you. So start with the same weapon! Start with the basics. Search your name both under the basic search and when doing a Google Images search. Write down the names of the websites that link to you but try not to click on them from Google. This is because the more these links are clicked, the more the search engine algorithms will rate them as “relevant”. The more relevant a page is, the more likely it will be included among the top results of your name. If you can’t find your mugshot via your name search, try to include more specific information. Add in the dates that you were arrested, the location, and the crime.
2. Check government and prison websites. Another common place mugshots will show up is on jail, prison, and affiliated organization websites. Corrections.com is a good place to start with your online search for your mugshot. There are also nonprofit victim advocacy organizations that will take mugshots and list them on their website, depending upon the nature of the crime.
3. Submit a public records request. This might be your last great free option, but it is a good one. If you cannot find anything online directly related to your mugshot, then it is time to go offline. Which yes, the answer to are mugshots public records is a yes. When submitting a public records request, you can request any mugshots.

Remove Mugshots With Professional Help

The best way to remove mugshots both online and offline is to first remove arrest records. Once you have your case sealed, charges dismissed or if you are found not guilty of a crime, then you can move to have those mugshots removed. The problem is that the government and the online authorities haven’t made it easy. The good news is that professional teams like ours can help expedite that process and clear your name from negative online searches. Contact our team today to learn more.