Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler has issued an opinion stating that criminal mug shots are a matter of public record ? and should be released to the media.

“In our opinion, a mug shot in the possession of a police department is not subject to the restrictions placed on ?criminal history record information? by State and federal law,” Gansler wrote in a June 14 opinion. “Rather, it should be treated as an investigatory record of the police department. Thus, it should be disclosed in response to a Public Information Act request unless the department determines that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest.”