A North Carolina county plans to remove around 400,000 mugshots from its public website, ending online access to booking photos collected over the past two decades.
Wake County, which includes the state capital of Raleigh, is expected to shut down its online mugshot portal, likely this month, the Wall Street Journalreported Wednesday. The photos will instead be available through two public kiosks in Raleigh, while residents can still search criminal court records through the state’s database.
The move is part of a broader shift in how states handle public access to mugshots. Since 2020, several states have tightened restrictions on releasing or posting booking photos, citing concerns that an arrest can leave a lasting digital record even when charges are later dismissed or expunged…