Columbus Division of Police has changed its policy on identifying juveniles who are victims of crimes.
The department announced Tuesday that minors who are victims of robbery, assaults or gun crimes will not be named in news releases or on Columbus Police’s social media channels.
Columbus Police Chief Tom Quinlan reviewed the practice over the last few months, according to the department.
The names of the victims are public record, but the department says they will not publish them unless there are special circumstances.
The department has received complaints in the past about their social media channels. Since the protests over racism and police violence earlier this summer, Mayor Andrew Ginther has required Columbus Police to get social media posts approved by his office in order to get the "right tone and message," according to the Columbus Dispatch.
In one incident that drew backlash in late May, Columbus Police named a 16-year-old victim of a shooting and called him "extremely uncooperative and combative."
