LOCAL TV newscasts will have a different look now that the NYPD has banned the traditional “perp walk,” where a suspected criminal is paraded before cameras.

No more pictures of tired-looking men in handcuffs being shuttled into police cars for the famous “trip downtown” – a staple image on the nightly news.

City officials announced last week that the NYPD is suspending the practice after a federal judge ruled that the perp walk violates privacy rights.

“It’s something that makes our lives a little more frustrating … and it’s a newsgathering inconvenience for us. But we always get the inevitable pictures anyway,” says WCBS/Ch.2 news director Bill Carey.

“I don’t know that anybody has said we’re not allowed to stand outside the [police] station and record pictures,” he says.

“At least initially we’ll have fewer moving pictures of suspects on TV – but we might be able to obtain a photo in another way,” said WABC/Ch.7 news director Bart Feder.

“We would like [the perp walks] to continue because it represents the freedom of the press,” said WPIX/Ch.11 news director Karen Scott. “If there’s a horrific crime, people should know who this person is.

“But of course we’ll still be able to fill our newscast,” Scott said. “There are a lot of ways to substitute for a perp walk … like courtroom artists and file footage.”

“I think if someone stands accused, the public … deserves to see who this person is in real time that day,” Carey said. “And on TV that means pictures.”