By Olivia Mapes
La Crosse Tribune, Wis.
LA CROSSE, Wis. — The roster page on the La Crosse Jail’s website has had a notable omission in recent weeks as the agency has stopped posting booking photos of inmates.
Sheriff John Siegel said the photos were taken down because of privacy concerns and disruptions in the booking process in the jail.
The roster page is a public website that lists names and charges for inmates held in the jail and, until recently, included a photo.
Siegel said the intent of the webpage is to share information about who is being held in the jail without family or friends having to call.
He said the inmate booking process is already difficult for jailers, and a growing number of otherwise compliant people are refusing to have their photos taken because they do not want them posted online.
Not everyone booked into the jail actually spends the night there. Of the nearly 3,000 jail bookings each year, about 25% of people don’t spend a night, Siegel said.
“We have explored and are exploring photos on the site for sentenced individuals and individuals spending time in the jail on a revocation or significant bond, which is what the locator was originally designed for,” Siegel said in an email. “Right now, due to the way the information is transferred, it is not a workable option but may be in the future. You can still see the names, charges and bonds of everyone in the jail. That information has not changed.”
Booking images are considered public records and can be obtained through an open records request filed with the jail.
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