By Elizabeth Murray
The Burlington Free Press
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Make one mistake, and your mug can end up all over social media. Make two, and you might attract a storm of comments on some Vermont law enforcement Facebook pages.
But where is the line between the public’s right to know and the rights of suspects to move on with their lives?
The South Burlington Police Department made the decision earlier this month to cease posting mug shots on Facebook. The chief — in a Facebook post on Independence Day — wrote there often was “a flurry of inappropriate comments,” and the pictures could be harmful to someone who might be successful in a restorative justice program, is not subsequently charged or eventually has charges dismissed.
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