Michael DeMarco and 2 of his friends have entered the publishing business. They publish a one of a kind newspaper in the metro Birmingham area called Local Mug Shots. The newspaper features mug shots of people wanted by local police agencies. It also has sections for missing children and registered sex offenders. DeMarco says he and his friends wanted to help clean up the streets and thought this was the best way they could do that.
Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale says he's happy to get the help but he's concerned about their liability if the information featured is not accurate. Samford Law School Dean John Carroll agrees. He says there should be no problems with the publication if the information presented is true and accurate.
DeMarco says the paper comes out every 2 weeks and its first edition that came out Sunday is already sold out in 15 locations. The paper may be new to Birmingham but it has been around for 6 years with it's roots being in Tampa Florida. DeMarco says it has expanded to several southeast cities. He says he and his partners plan to expand to Montgomery next.
The newspaper cost one dollar and DeMarco says he hopes putting these pictures in print will do 2 things... get bad guys and gals off the streets and keep others from doing criminal acts so they won't have mug shots that will be printed in his paper.
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