Out from behind the curtain
The person (or persons) who run pdxmugshots.com -- the controversial site that shows mugshots of the arrested in the Portland area, and until the other day would take them down for a fee -- have, to this point, remained anonymous. But some intrepid journalists at Willy Week are apparently hot on one such person's trail, and they'll likely have his or her identity quite soon.
That being the case, a purported proprietor of said website has disclosed his identity to us, for publication on this blog. He says he would rather be "outed" here than elsewhere.
Somehow we feel we're being dragged into something bigger than (or different from) what's being presented to us, but hey, maybe it's accurate and maybe it's mildly, somewhat, tangentially newsworthy. So we'll take the bait. Here's what the e-mail said:
Hi Jack, my name is Kyle Ritter. I run PDXmugshots.com/KA Marketing and I will not be answering any calls, emails, or knocks on my door... from anyone. That includes all WW staff.So then, now you know.
If you're not sure what to make of that, you're not alone.
| Posted at 12:53 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (6)
American free enterprise at its best!
And he picked the right place to out himself!
Posted by al m | August 26, 2011 1:37 AM
You're right, Jack.
This disclosure tells us something, but I'm not sure exactly what.
Posted by The Other Jimbo | August 26, 2011 9:12 AM
I think he is the barflymag guy.
Posted by NorthwestT | August 26, 2011 9:13 AM
Before I dig further, Jack are you reasonably comfortable this is a good source or is this a scam?
I'm getting the same as NorthwestT and a lot more. I don't want to out the wrong person.
Posted by dman | August 26, 2011 11:38 AM
"Kyle? It's your mother. I'm out here on the front porch. Why won't you let me in??"
Posted by reader | August 26, 2011 2:57 PM
I have no qualms with local police, county sheriff, and state troopers hosting websites for public access of this information.
What I do have a problem with is a private entity running a website like this with advertising and a "pay to remove" scheme involved. Such a website is profiteering off of the misfortunes of others in the darkest moments of their life.
Even if this were public information, it would still involve litigation over individual privacy rights. Also, what about crime victims? Nancy Grace makes a daily living off of reporting crimes that show pictures of crime victims, some of them adorable children like Caylee Anthony. How is it that she can make a profit off of images of victims, yet some would consider it morally reprehensible if a website like pdxmugshots was created for victims of crimes?
This whole issue is a loser all around. Sure the legality is grey, but the inherent immorality off of making a living from photos of individuals in the darkest time of their life is just plain wrong, unless the courts have condoned it and it is run by public sector public safety with no "pay to remove" schemes, but rather a pay to access the archives to protect privacy, yet keep the sunshine on the public sector.
Posted by Killiana1a | August 26, 2011 4:37 PM