Everyone has a past, but that doesn’t mean that you want the misdeeds of earlier years available to anyone who looks you up online. If some incidents in your past have resulted in mugshots online, you’re not alone. Many people who have successful, fulfilling personal and professional lives have had to deal with the annoyances associated with public mugshots.
The good news: there’s a high chance that you can get your Springfield mugshots removed from the internet.
Table of Contents
Expunging Criminal Records
If you’ve committed the crime and have been found guilty, the first step of getting your public mugshots removed from the internet is to apply to have the crime expunged from your record. While requirements for expunging a crime differ from state to state, you’ll typically start by filling out an application to the governing body in which your crime occurred (the county or state courthouse is usually a good place to start).
While it’s pretty easy to have records expunged or sealed for crimes that were committed as a juvenile, it can be tougher for crimes that were committed as an adult. You’ll need to present the court with a good reason why the crime should be removed from your record. You may want to work with a lawyer if you committed a more serious crime, or if your conviction was recent.
Removing Mugshots After Expungement
If you weren’t charged with a crime, or you’ve gone through the process of having the crime expunged from your record, you’ll simply need to find out who owns the website that has your mugshots posted and write or call asking to have them removed.
The company that owns the site may try to charge you a fee for the removal of your mugshot. Be sure to check the laws in your state — in some states, companies are not allowed to charge for mugshot removal. If you happen to live in a state in which companies are allowed to charge for removal, it may be worth it to pay up.
Removing Mugshots Without Expungement
If you did commit the crime and were convicted, removing your mugshots online can become a little bit more tricky. The smartest way to go about removing your mugshot photos isn’t actually to remove them at all — it’s to replace them with more positive content. If you’re tech-savvy and tend to stay up-to-date on search engine algorithms, this might be something that you’re able to do on your own, by adding new pictures and developing new content to replace unsavory photos and information.
Getting Help For Removing Online Mugshots
If you’re a busy professional, or simply someone who does not want to be consumed with constantly scouring the depths of the internet for your mugshots, it makes sense to work with someone who can take over the process for you. This is especially true if you’ve gone through the all-too-common process of having mugshots removed, only to see them pop up on another site. There are reputable companies that can work to create true, factual, positive information that can replace the negative information and photos currently available.