LAPD Investigates Leaked Rihanna Photo

The Los Angeles Police Department has opened an internal investigation into whether a photo posted to TMZ is part of police evidence. The photo above of a badly bruised Rihanna was posted on the site last night and was allegedly taken after her beating at the hands of boy friend Chris Brown. The LAPD is currently investigating the altercation. The L.A. Times printed this statement from the department:

“The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence. The Department launched an immediate internal investigation and subsequently filed a personnel complaint. A violation of this type is considered serious misconduct, with penalties up to and including termination.”

This raises a lot of questions. Does freedom of the press and the public’s right to know trump a battered woman’s right to privacy? Does a pubic figure like Rihanna still have the right to privacy in a case like this? Will this prejudice the opinion of the public towards the ongoing domestic violence investigation?

Obviously, whoever leaked the photo to TMZ violated LAPD policy and is likely to get fired for it. But they can’t put this cat back in the bag and the photo is now public property.

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