LEGO demands Police stop using Minifigure heads on criminal mugshots

The LEGO Group has demanded the Murrieta Police Department stop using Minifigure heads on criminal mugshots. 

LEGO has requested the Murrieta Police Department to stop using their Minigifure heads on suspects’ faces on criminal mugshots after the local police force used it to highlight a new state law. 

“The LEGO Group reached out to me on March 19 and respectfully asked us to refrain from using their intellectual property in our social media content. Which of course, we understand and will comply with,” Lieutenant Jeremy Durant of the Murrieta Police Department said in a statement. 

The request from LEGO comes after the Murrieta PD tried to spread awareness of a new law that went into effect to protect the identities of suspects.

The new law was implemented on January 1, 2024, and it prohibits law enforcement from sharing suspect photos for nonviolent crimes, unless specified circumstances exist. 

The Police Department thus made a series of posts with pictures of suspects with Minifigure heads, and other characters from films, PhotoShopped over their faces to highlight the change.

Durrant told Deadline that LEGO’s response was that they “were flattered we were using their images, but asked us to respectfully refrain from using their intellectual property in our social media pages.” 

He continued, “They didn’t go demand that we take everything down. It was basically, ‘Hey, you guys had a good run. Go ahead and stop now.’ And we’re like, ‘Yep, not a problem.’”