How Mugshot Removal Services Remove Mugshots Online, and What to Do Before You Contact Anyone
Learn how mugshot removals actually work so you can avoid scams, move faster, and prevent the same photo from popping back up elsewhere.
Seeing a booking photo show up in search results can feel like you are stuck reliving a worst moment on repeat. The frustrating part is that even when the underlying case is old, dismissed, or expunged, the image can keep spreading across publisher pages, scraper sites, and people search databases.
That is why mugshot removal is rarely a single takedown. It is usually a cleanup project across a network of websites, plus search engines that keep indexing copies.
This guide explains how legitimate mugshot removal services do the work, what information they collect, and what you should do before you contact anyone so you do not accidentally make the problem worse.
What is mugshot removal?
Mugshot removal is the process of getting a booking photo and related arrest content taken down, corrected, de-indexed, or pushed out of prominent search results.
It can involve:
- Removing the image from the original source site
- Removing or updating copies on republishers and scrapers
- Cleaning up people search and data broker listings
- Requesting search engine removals in limited situations
- Building positive content to reduce visibility when removal is not possible
Key Takeaway: Real mugshot removal starts with the source page, then expands outward to copies and search results.
What do mugshot removal services do?
A professional service typically follows a repeatable workflow. The best ones are methodical and evidence-driven, not “pay and pray.”
- Network mapping: They identify the original publisher, syndication partners, scrapers, and data brokers that rehost the same photo under different URLs.
- Documentation review: They collect and organize case outcomes, expungement orders, identity proof, and screenshots so every request is consistent and credible.
- Publisher outreach: They contact the right party (site owner, legal contact, or editor) with the correct request type, such as removal, update, or correction.
- Platform reporting: When content violates a platform’s policies (for example, certain forms of personal info exposure), they use the correct reporting channel. Google has removal pathways for specific categories of personal information and privacy risks.
- Search cleanup: When a page is removed or updated, they may follow up with search result cleanup steps so outdated versions disappear faster.
- Ongoing monitoring: They watch for reposts and new copies, because mugshots are commonly re-scraped and republished. Reporting and monitoring tools like Google’s “Results about you” can help surface new exposures of personal info in search results.
Did You Know? Some mugshot sites historically made money by publishing arrest photos and charging fees to remove them, which is why “instant removal for a fee” can be a red flag.
How mugshot removal services actually remove mugshots
Most reputable services use an order of operations that looks like this.
1) Find the true source and confirm what is live
They start by locating:
- The exact URL where the photo is published
- Any image file URLs (often separate from the page URL)
- Cached versions and alternate URL formats
- Mirror domains owned by the same operator
This matters because if you only target a Google search result, you may miss the actual live page, or the same image hosted elsewhere.
2) Map the copy network (publishers, scrapers, aggregators)
A mugshot can spread through:
- Publishers: News sites, county blotters, arrest log sites, and niche “crime” pages
- Scrapers: Sites that automatically copy content from public sources or other sites
- Aggregators: People search sites and data brokers that compile profiles
A good service builds a list of targets and prioritizes them by reach, ranking, and ease of removal.
3) Decide the correct removal pathway for each site
There is no single playbook that works everywhere. Services usually choose from:
- Direct takedown request (site owner): Best when the operator has a clear process and you can show a strong reason to remove or update.
- Update or correction request: Useful when the page is misleading (for example, charges dropped, case dismissed, expunged).
- Policy-based report: Some situations qualify for platform action, especially when sensitive personal info is exposed in a harmful way.
- Data broker opt-outs: For people search sites, removal often looks like opting out rather than negotiating.
- Suppression strategy: When the source will not remove, services build and promote positive assets to push the result down.
Midway through a project, you should be able to articulate your own mugshot removal process and see exactly which sites are being targeted and why, rather than getting vague “we contacted some websites” updates.
4) Execute outreach without triggering reposts
This is where experience matters. Bad outreach can backfire:
- It can alert operators who then copy the content to more domains
- It can cause social sharing or attention that increases visibility
- It can create inconsistent claims that weaken future requests
Legitimate services keep requests consistent and avoid emotional, threatening, or scattershot messaging.
5) Clean up search visibility after changes
If a page is removed, updated, or blocked, there is still a lag while search engines recrawl and refresh results. Google provides removal options for certain personal info and also has processes that can help when content is gone or materially changed.
They also may encourage you to use monitoring and request workflows tied to Google Search for personal info exposures.
6) Monitor and repeat
This is not pessimism, it is reality. Mugshots are a common target for scraping. A solid service:
- Sets up monitoring for your name and key variants
- Tracks new URLs and images
- Builds a “do not contact” list of bad actors where outreach increases repost risk
- Keeps documentation ready so repeat removals are faster
What you should do before you contact anyone
If you do these steps first, you reduce the risk of duplicate reposts and you make every request stronger.
Step 1: Create a clean inventory of every URL
Build a simple list that includes:
- The page URL
- The image URL (if available)
- The site name and domain
- The date you found it
- A screenshot PDF of the page
Tip: Save screenshots immediately. Pages change fast, and you want proof of what was displayed.
Step 2: Confirm your case status and gather key documents
At minimum, try to collect:
- A government ID (you will often redact sensitive numbers)
- Case disposition showing dismissed, not guilty, or reduced charges (if applicable)
- Expungement or sealing order (if applicable)
- Any court docket that confirms the outcome
- A short timeline you can repeat consistently
If your record is expunged, do not assume websites automatically remove anything. Expungement helps, but you still usually need outreach.
Step 3: Check whether the photo is hosted on multiple domains
Search using:
- Your full name in quotes
- Reverse image search (to find duplicates)
- Your name plus city, county, or booking number
This helps you avoid wasting time on the lowest-impact site first while the biggest result keeps ranking.
Step 4: Identify the right contact channel for each site
Before you email, check:
- Terms and “Remove content” pages
- Privacy policies
- DMCA or legal contact pages
- WHOIS or domain ownership clues (when available)
A service does this at scale, but you can do a basic version so you do not send requests to the wrong inbox.
Step 5: Decide what you are asking for (remove vs update vs suppress)
Write down your goal for each page:
- Remove the photo entirely
- Remove your name from the page
- Update the outcome (dismissed, sealed, expunged)
- De-index the page from search engines
- Push it down in search results
Clarity here prevents messy back-and-forth that can create new copies.
How to find a trustworthy mugshot removal service
The mugshot space attracts scams, so your screening matters.
Look for providers who:
- Start with an audit and URL inventory, not a price quote only
- Explain which sites are removable vs likely non-removable
- Put timelines in writing, with realistic ranges (not guarantees)
- Do not demand credentials that feel excessive for the request type
- Share what happens if content reappears
Red flags to avoid:
- “We remove any mugshot from anywhere in 24 hours”
- No clear target list of sites and URLs
- Pressure to pay immediately without reviewing your situation
- Claims of special relationships with Google
- Vague promises like “we will delete it from the internet”
Google does have removal pathways for certain personal info and privacy harms, but it is policy-based, not relationship-based.
The best mugshot removal services
- Erase.com
Best for: end-to-end mugshot removal projects that include source outreach, copy network cleanup, and search visibility planning.
Find out more about what they can do on their website at erase.com - Push It Down
Best for: suppression when the source will not remove the page, especially if the mugshot ranks for your name and you need it pushed down with positive assets.
Find out more about what they can do on their website at pushitdown.com - DeleteMe
Best for: people search and data broker removals that often sit alongside mugshot pages in search results.
Find out more about what they can do on their website at joindeleteme.com - Incogni
Best for: ongoing data broker cleanup and repeat opt-outs, which can reduce the number of sites that surface arrest-related profiles over time.
Find out more about what they can do on their website at incogni.com
Mugshot removal FAQs
How long does mugshot removal take?
It depends on the site and whether the source cooperates. Simple opt-outs and cooperative publishers can move quickly, while stubborn operators can take weeks or longer. If a page is removed, search engines can still show older versions until they recrawl and refresh.
Can I remove a mugshot myself without a service?
Yes, especially if you are organized. The tradeoff is time, follow-up, and knowing which requests will backfire. If you do it yourself, focus on inventory first, then source removal, then copies, then search cleanup.
Will Google remove my mugshot from search results?
Sometimes, but not just because it is embarrassing or unfair. Google removals are policy-driven and typically tied to specific categories like certain forms of personal info exposure or other defined harms.
What if my record was expunged or sealed?
That helps your case, but it is not automatic. You often still need to contact sites, provide documentation, and request updates or removals. For some sites, expungement is the difference between “no” and “yes.”
What if the site refuses to remove it?
Then your best options are:
- Keep removing copies elsewhere so the result loses support
- Clean up people search listings that reinforce the mugshot result
- Build suppression assets that outrank it
- Monitor for reposts and handle them quickly
Conclusion
Mugshot removal is not magic. It is a structured workflow that starts with finding the source, documenting your case outcome, and then working outward through scrapers, aggregators, and search results.
Before you contact anyone, get your URL inventory and documents together. That single step makes you faster, more consistent, and harder to ignore.
If you want, I can turn your specific situation into a one-page takedown plan: target list, recommended order, and which requests are worth trying first.
