Maryland Website Puts Faces On Crime
Frederick, Md., Mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty intends to post photographs of everybody arrested for purchasing or selling drugs on the city’s Web site, a plan she hopes will reduce this type of crime.
Dougherty explains that the objective is to empower Frederick’s citizens by offering information about crime. She states that she hopes residents will contact police if they witness individuals they recognize from the Web site loitering on their street.
The plan, however, has its critics. Former president of the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association Larry A. Nathans notes that the presumption of a person’s innocence could be lost if the photos are displayed on the Internet.
Nathans contends that individuals can be wrongly arrested, and that the photos can add unneeded trauma to an already hard situation.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Baltimore Sun (09/09/04) P. 1B; Desmon, Stephanie .
