Many people use Facebook on a daily basis to post pictures of their life, comment on their friend’s posts, and stay updated in other people’s lives. Now, Facebook is being used very unfairly by the Colorado Springs Police Department. In what they feel is an effort to reduce Prostitution and Solicitation, the Colorado Springs Police will now post the name, picture, age, and city of anyone arrested and convicted of Solicitation on the department’s Facebook page – making this conviction similar to a sex offense and offering the world similar information to the sex offender registry.
Prostitution and Solicitation Police Stings in Fort Collins
In what is more ridiculous, after recent police stings in Fort Collins, Greeley, and Denver, news sites have posted mug shots and identifying information prior to any convictions. This leads to the guilty until proven innocent mindset. When people see a person’s picture and name next to a crime, they automatically assume the person is guilty and has committed that crime.
Now, no matter what the outcome of the case – even a full dismissal – the mug shot and media’s portrayal are what comes up in the search results when a defendant’s name is Googled. The media outlets don’t tend to do follow-up pieces retracting statements made and clearing people’s names in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park.
Facing a Criminal Charge? Don’t Lose Hope in Larimer County
Now, if you are facing charges and have been blasted on the news, don’t lose hope. Time heals all wounds and the media wound is not immune. As time passes and the stories get older, and they fall lower and lower on the search results. The most important thing to protect is your criminal record. At the O’Malley Law Office, we work vigorously to minimize the effects these charges have on your life. While we cannot control what the media releases and what gets on the internet, we fight hard to clear your name in Larimer, Boulder, and Grand County.