Georgia bill targeting ‘mugshot mills’ could restrict access to police video, critics say

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A proposal moving through the Georgia legislature would add new steps to obtain booking photos and police videos, raising concerns among First Amendment advocates and news organizations about public access to law enforcement records.

Senate Bill 482 passed the Georgia Senate without a no vote.

The bill would require anyone seeking a booking photo or law enforcement video to:

• appear in person at the agency holding the record;
• identify each person in the image by first and last name; and
• submit a notarized statement promising not to misuse the material.

Supporters say the bill is aimed at so-called “mugshot mill” websites that publish arrest photos and then charge people to remove them.

“We have people where cases have been dismissed, or they were found not guilty, yet their mugshot lives everywhere,” said Sen. Brian Strickland, a Republican sponsoring the bill. “It follows them forever.”

Under current law, many booking photos and some law enforcement videos can be requested electronically under Georgia’s open records statute. SB 482 would keep mugshots and body camera video public, but would change how people get them.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation says those requirements amount to a significant new barrier.

“Putting up barriers that shut down access to this information will obviously lead to less oversight, and I think that will make people less safe,” said Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, an attorney and board member with the foundation.

Sheriffs and other law enforcement officials testified in favor of the bill at a past hearing, arguing that bulk requests from commercial websites consume staff time and taxpayer money.

“Monetization of someone else’s misery is not right. It’s 100% not right, and we’ve got to do something about this,” Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson told lawmakers.

Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman said some families are pressured to pay large sums after mugshots appear online.

“Families are scared, so what do they do? They do something they normally wouldn’t,” Freeman said. “They pay a scammer $1,000.”

Brewerton-Palmer said the bill as written would not just curb bad actors.

“Instead of directly regulating these ‘mugshot mills,’ this bill shuts down access where the public gets records,” she said. “You’re not just going after misuse, you’re going after everybody who might want this information.”

Transparency advocates warn the changes could make it harder for journalists and ordinary Georgians to obtain arrest records and body camera video needed to scrutinize police conduct, particularly in high-profile incidents.

SB 482 now heads to the Georgia House, where lawmakers could take it up in committee in the coming days. Media and open-government groups say they plan to continue pushing for changes before the measure reaches Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.