How To Remove Public Mugshots Online

August 13, 2025

If it’s time to delete that unflattering arrest record from the web, we’ll show you how to remove public mugshots online and rebuild your reputation.

In our digital era, information is everything. And Google has become a double-edged sword when it comes to handling your online reputation — it can make it or break it. Today, it’s search engines that give people a first impression of you.

Consider this: Many people find it interesting and even humorous when they see their favorite celebrity get arrested. Article after article will cover the news story, giving you a steady stream of gossip to digest. You may form a judgment of the celebrity without learning the ins and outs of their case.

This type of situation is taken as a joke until it happens to you. The truth is that public mugshots are unflattering, embarrassing and, in certain situations, completely misleading. 

Unfortunately, the United States classifies public mugshots and booking information as public knowledge. This means that you have the ability to obtain anybody’s arrest record by simply going online and searching for it.

Is there a mugshot that’s haunting you in search results? Read on to learn what you can do about it.

Our mugshot removal services will remove your arrest records and mugshot images fast. Contact us today at 866-601-6803 to learn more about getting your mugshot off the internet.

How Long Does It Take for Mugshots To Appear Online?

As soon as an arrest is made (prior to any conviction), an individual is booked and processed at a police station. Next, his or her mugshot photos are then uploaded into county records. 

Within hours, news stations can obtain this information and write a story online for their readers. From there, a website like Mugshots.com can also publish the public information that’s available online.

The purpose of capturing a mugshot of an arrestee is to confirm their identity with a photographic record. 

Many police departments have their own websites and organized databases that are easy to browse. If your county does not have an online database, you can always venture into town and ask for that individual’s records at the local police department.

How Long Do Mugshots Stay Online?

It’s best to assume that once something appears online, it’ll be there forever. And even sealed or expunged records exist somewhere that can be accessed by law enforcement.

But even though you can’t 100% guarantee that your sensitive information will disappear from the internet forever, doing nothing about it is the worst approach. With time and effort, you can get your unflattering information to show up less prominently in search results. Doing nothing and expecting the problem to disappear is never going to work, though.

It’s important to be proactive when fighting against these publications. Get a free mugshot removal analysis today and sign up for a consultation with one of our experts. Learn more here.

What Are the Laws Regarding Public Mugshot Websites?

What is said online can have prolonged effects. Even leaving a negative comment on a Facebook post can haunt you for years to come if it goes viral. Imagine how much harm a mugshot can do to your reputation.

Every day, arrest records are published online for anyone with a computer or smartphone to see. There are hundreds of websites that publish mugshots. As unethical as this may seem, many sites feel as if they are doing a service for the community.

Yes, from the opposing perspective, these sites are run by extortionists and are set up to ruin your life. In reality, though, their goal is transparency. 

Think of it this way: If you have small children who play outside every day, wouldn’t you like to know if anyone in your neighborhood has a criminal record? 

Protected by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), these websites are completely within the legal confines to display mugshots without the consent of the arrestee. The rights to the mugshots belong to county offices. Once that information is shared publicly, it can be distributed without breaking any laws. 

Site Owners May Have To Remove Mugshots Under Georgia Law

There are some states that have laws in place to protect your privacy. Take Georgia, for example. According to the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, there are circumstances that require a commercial website to remove the mugshot for no cost. The site owner must abide by the removal request within 30 days to be in compliance with the law.

Unfortunately, if the website owner is not located within the United States, there’s no way to get them to legally comply with a mugshot removal request.

Our mugshot removal experts will analyze search engine results to find and remove your personal information and mugshots online. Call us at 866-601-6803 for more information so you can remove your mugshot ASAP.

Do Public Mugshots Show in Google Search and Other Search Engines?

Unfortunately, yes. Google is a neutral and unbiased search engine. That means that Google doesn’t pick and choose what appears in search results unless it’s in violation of its guidelines.

In addition, if you are an individual with a very minimal online presence, you could suffer the most from mugshots published on the internet. Typically, when a site publishes arrest records and mugshot images, it mentions the individual’s name multiple times. If you don’t already have a strong web presence, your mugshots could be at the top of search results if someone Googles your name.

How Can I Have My Mugshot Removed From the Internet?

If you or someone you know is suffering from mugshots that are published online, you have options.

Sending threatening emails that insist your mugshot gets taken down won’t work. Instead, approach the website owner with facts. If you can prove that they have incorrect information or that your records have been sealed or expunged, there’s a better likelihood that they’ll remove the listing.

Note that if you have a legal reason for wanting your online mugshots taken off a mugshot site, you may need to hire a mugshot removal lawyer and pay associated attorney fees. Your mugshot removal lawyer may make a written request and provide a copy of the expungement order to the mugshot site.

Additionally, some people-search sites, including mugshot websites, will have a process for requesting the removal of your criminal record and other data. If this type of process is laid out on the website, follow it exactly as described. Check back after a few weeks to see if your mugshot has been taken down.

If the website owner agrees and removes your information, you can submit a request to Google to have the link removed from the search engine results page (SERP). 

However, if the website owner doesn’t agree to take down your personal information, you’ll have to move on to the next strategy: content suppression.

Content suppression is when so much positive and neutral content is published online and optimized for the SERP that it pushes down negative results. Over time, that negative content will be so buried that few people will ever find it.

We work on behalf of our clients to erase mugshots, arrest records, police reports and other sensitive information from the internet. Give us a call at 866-601-6803 to learn more.

Remove Your Mugshot Online With Our Expert Services

At EraseMugshots.com, we offer mugshot removal services to get rid of your criminal records and damaging information that’s online. We can help you rebuild your digital reputation.

Whether you have arrest records, mugshots or police reports online, we’ll work on your behalf to remove them from search results. Our strategies will remove or suppress negative content from showing up on mugshot websites and in Google search results.

It doesn’t matter if you were found guilty or wrongly convicted of a crime. If your mugshot appears online, we’ll help you take back control of your online reputation. Don’t let your booking photo and arrest information ruin your standing as a business owner or your future job prospects.

For a free consultation about how to remove your mugshot the right way, call us at 866-601-6803 today.

Free Mugshot Removal Analysis