Lego has ordered the Murrieta Police Department in California to stop using images of the toys to mask suspects’ identities in social media posts.

Images of the Lego-headed criminals went massively viral last week.

Murrieta Police Department Lt. Jeremy Durrant confirmed Lego had contacted them.

“The Lego Group reached out to us and respectfully asked us to refrain from using their intellectual property in our social media content which of course we understand and will comply with,” Durrant told Fox News. “We are currently exploring other methods to continue publishing our content in a way that is engaging and interesting to our followers.”

Last Tuesday, the Murrieta Police Department announced on Instagram that they would be using Lego heads to comply with a state privacy law.

“On January 1st, a new law went into effect that restricts the how and when law enforcement agencies in California share suspect photos & mugshots,” the post stated.

“The new law, Assembly Bill 994 & Penal Code 13665, now prohibits law enforcement from sharing suspect photos for nonviolent crimes, unless specified circumstances exist. Additionally, the new law requires agencies to remove suspect mugshots from social media after 14 days, unless special circumstances exist.”

The post continued, “The Murrieta Police Department prides itself in its transparency with the community, but also honors everyone’s rights & protections as afforded by law; even suspects. In order to share what is happening in Murrieta, we chose to cover the faces of suspects to protect their identity while still aligning with the new law.”

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