Lyon County Sheriff Pope’s Message of the Week: September 13, 2024

Message of the Week 09/12/2024

This week the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard a case from Maricopa County, Arizona. The case was about the posting of mugshots on “the internet.” The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was unconstitutional to post mugshots online. Maricopa County had a different procedure from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and published more information than the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office did.

I sought a legal opinion from the District Attorney’s Office. Although our postings differ, the recommendation was not to post our mugshots until the appeal of the ruling is complete. Maricopa County states they will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s will still post weekly arrest statistics on Mondays. However, a mugshot and the individual’s name will not be included. The extent of the ruling is not known at this point, and many questions remain. Questions that were left unanswered include:

Can a mugshot be posted on a press release? Can the news post mugshots? Can information in relation to arrests be published?

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and the Lyon County District Attorney’s Office await more information and hope further guidance will come in the next few weeks.

What is the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals?

The United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit consists of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals along with district and bankruptcy courts in the 15 federal judicial districts that comprise the circuit and associated administrative units that provide various court services.

Ninth Circuit Districts:
1. Alaska
2. Arizona
3. Central District of California
4. Eastern District of California
5. Northern District of California
6. Southern District of California
7. Guam
8. Hawaii
9. Idaho
10. Montana
11. Nevada
12. Northern Mariana Islands
13. Oregon
14. Eastern District of Washington
15. Western District of Washington

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office concluded our annual golf tournament in Dayton over the weekend. The golf Tournament was a success! The Shop with a Sheriff fund, K9 fund, and the First Responders Benefit were able to take in revenue that helps their respective causes. A representative of the Sheriff’s Office, Sergeant Matt Galvin, did, in fact, hit a hole-in-one. Thank you to everyone who supported this event and for the continued support of our programs.

Respectfully,
Sheriff Brad Pope