San Francisco police say they will stop releasing the mug shots of people who have been arrested unless they pose a threat to the public.

Police Chief Bill Scott says the new policy starting Wednesday is aimed at stopping the spread of negative stereotypes of minorities.

Jack Glaser, a public policy professor at the University of California Berkeley who researches racial stereotyping, says data shows Black people who are arrested are more likely to have their cases dismissed by prosecutors.

But the mug shots live on. That contributes to Americans making an unfair association between people of color and crime.