A controversial law-enforcement tactic used to deter crime is now targeting shoplifters, reviving the debate over the civil liberties of people who are singled out for an offense they may or may not have committed.

Avondale is the latest police agency to post suspects' mug shots online. The city publicizes photos of adults arrested and accused of shoplifting, even if they haven't been convicted.

Police officials say they're helping merchants by cracking down on shoplifting, which peaked at 94 reports in October.

But the American Civil Liberties Union and Valley defense attorneys question whether the practice infringes on citizens' rights.

"I think we have to look at this from a public-policy perspective" and ask if the program is effective, said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. "This is part of a growing trend" to penalize people who are arrested, no matter if they're cleared later, she said.

El Paso; Chicago; and St. Paul, Minn., already post suspects' photos online to curb DUI, prostitution, domestic violence or public indecency.

In Arizona, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office began displaying convicted DUI offenders' photos in December. The county Sheriff's Office posts photos of suspects booked into its jails for about three days.

Avondale is the first in the Valley to zero in on shoplifting through the same tactic.

The city averaged about 74 shoplifting reports per month in 2007.

From January through March, there were 173, an average of about 57 per month, according to police figures.

In March, the southwest Valley city launched the online program.

"(Stores) keep on losing merchandise. And with that, they keep on losing profit," said Sgt. Memo Espinoza, an Avondale police spokesman. "Our purpose is not to embarrass the individuals."

Janet Becchina, who manages an Avondale Walgreens near Dysart Road and Van Buren Street, fights store theft daily, sometimes confronting shoplifters without bothering to contact police.

Becchina said she already hangs photos of shoplifters at the store, but posting their pictures online could be extra helpful.

She said viewing the photos could help her employees recognize suspects' faces if they enter her store.

Psychological impact

Yet legal experts say Avondale's program runs counter to the presumption of innocence and could taint a jury pool, making it difficult to get a fair trial without changing venue.

"We know from talking to lots of juries that they give lots of weight (to what police say)," Phoenix defense attorney Joey Hamby said.

Even though Avondale's Web site states "all persons are entitled to the presumption of innocence," the disclaimer does little to dissuade people from assuming the suspects listed are guilty, Hamby said.

"If they (police) thought the guy was innocent . . . his picture wouldn't be up there," he said.

Month of notoriety

Avondale began posting photos of adults arrested on suspicion of shoplifting in mid-March. The Web site - www.avondale.org/police - hosts the photos for about a month.

The suspects named from February arrests range in age from 18 to 61. Some have no previous criminal record, while others have an extensive case history.

Donna Hawk's picture is among 18 appearing online in connection with February arrests.

Hawk, 40, of Avondale, admitted she made a mistake, her second shoplifting offense in 14 months. She said the ordeal of being caught, going to court and paying fines was embarrassing enough.

She said she knew her March conviction for shoplifting from an Avondale Wal-Mart could show up in a background check, but she never thought it would be so easily accessible to anyone browsing Avondale's Web site.

"If they're going to single people out, there are worse people than shoplifters," Hawk said.

Across the nation

Some cities believe publishing suspects' photos online has been effective, although they acknowledge it is difficult to measure.

Patrick Camden, deputy director of news affairs for Chicago's police force, described the tactic as one in a series of measures the city uses to fight prostitution, a primary complaint among locals.

"We try to make it (prostitution) as difficult as possible to discourage the activity," Camden said.

El Paso has faced a lawsuit related to posting suspects' photos.

Javier Sambrano, an El Paso police spokesman, said the city settled the case by clarifying its presumption-of-innocence disclaimer to say the site does not reflect case outcomes.

The St. Paul Police Department began publishing suspects' photos in partnership with a local newspaper in the early 1980s before moving the program online in the '90s, according to spokesman Tom Walsh.

He said prostitutes have told undercover officers they would not go to St. Paul. He believes publishing suspects' photos "has had a deterrent effect, but I can't say that it's been a blanket success.

"If that were true," Walsh said, "we wouldn't have to run undercover operations. Period."