(NewsGlobal.com)- The mugshot of David DePape, the suspect detained in connection with the Oct. 28 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is being withheld by San Francisco officials (D-Calif.).
The Epoch Times requested the mugshot of DePape, 42, through email, but the city police department and the county sheriff’s office turned it down.
The San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail where DePape is being kept, received a preliminary request. We don’t own the rights to mugshots, an officer retorted, stating that the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) does.
According to Nicole Pacchetti, the SFPD’s public information officer, “Under the current circumstances, we do not disclose mugshots of the suspect.”
However, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott declared in 2020 that he would no longer release mugshots of suspects who have been arrested “except in circumstances where their release is necessary to warn the public of imminent danger or to enlist the public’s assistance in locating individuals, including at-risk persons.” Police departments across the United States frequently release mugshots of suspects arrested.
The chief at the time noted studies demonstrating how the frequent distribution of mug shots “fosters racial bias and greatly overstates the tendency of black and brown individuals to participate in criminal activities.” Scott added that withholding mug shots, which upholds the principle of “innocent until proven guilty,” strengthens American law.
Other often published records in the Pelosi-DePape case have also been withheld from The Epoch Times and other news organizations. On Nov. 3, San Francisco’s top prosecutor acknowledged that she was withholding a recording of Pelosi’s 911 call and body camera footage from the police.
The Epoch Times is currently awaiting responses to unanswered requests for several additional incident-related records.
Authorities believe the dispatcher’s decision to send officers for a well-being check may have saved Pelosi’s life. When police arrived, they discovered Nancy Pelosi and Robert DePape arguing inside the home over a hammer.
According to a court document, DePape struck Pelosi in the head with the hammer “with full power.”
