ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A US crime scene cleaning company is at the centre of a controversy after posting images of clients' belongings online.

Others in the industry feel it is inappropriate for Atlanta Crime Scene Cleanup to post light-hearted photographs of clients' personal effects on the internet.

"It's shining a bad light on our industry," says Ryan Sawyer, owner of rival crime scene cleaning company Bio Trauma. "These are families who have experienced a homicide, suicide - something horrific in their house and they're going on to Facebook and they're bragging about it."

There are currently no Georgia state regulations for crime scene cleaning and some say that change is overdue.

"The person who cuts your hair is licensed by the state; the person who does your wife's fingernails is licensed by the state," said Doug Cunningham, owner of crime scene cleaning company Bio-One. "But this industry has no licensing and they have no clue what's going on out there."

Atlanta Crime Scene Cleanup is run by Ronnie Cruse who claims he has permission from homeowners to post the photos, none of which were actually taken at crime scenes. "I don't do it as a joke to the client for sure - there's no name on there, there's no address on there, it's just my crew doing what they do," he said. "If anyone wants to complain it should be my clients - not some company that's jealous that I'm doing more work than they are."

The company's website states that it is "first and foremost concerned about keeping you safe, removing the visual reminder of the event". Cruse said he has now cleaned up his act and will refrain from posting lighthearted photos online.