Sheriff Ordered Eight Deputies To Delete Graphic Photos Of Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash

The fact that anyone would even have the thought process to take pictures of the dead bodies on their personal devices is beyond me…

It’s one thing to take photos for investigation purposes, but it’s totally different to circulate the photos on a personal device.

According to NBC:

LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he ordered eight deputies to delete graphic photos of the helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, Bryant’s daughter and seven others to avoid the risk of the photos being shared and possibly becoming public.

“That was my No. 1 priority, was to make sure those photos no longer exist,” Villanueva told NBC News. “We identified the deputies involved, they came to the station on their own and had admitted they had taken them and they had deleted them. And, we’re content that those involved did that.”

Apparently someone overheard the trainee deputy conversing with a bartender at a local bar about having photos from the scene of the accident.

… not sure I’d be proud to have that as a conversation piece.

More from NBC:

Villanueva said he was focused on containing the potential distribution of the photos, rather than punishing the deputies, though he said there is an open investigation into what happened.

“Had we done the original, usual routine, which was relieve everybody of duty and everybody lawyers up and all that, that would increase the odds 10-fold that those photos would have some how made their way into the public domain. And that’s definitely what we do not want,” he said.

Villanueva added that the sheriff’s department does not have a policy that explicitly addresses deputies photographing a gruesome scene on their personal cellphones, and said he plans to change that.

Now we need more rules for basic human decency, apparently. I mean, I’m all for condoning rules that adequately address proper etiquette when on duty, but sheesh.

However, there are law enforcement sources who stated that officers and authorities feel inclined to take some photos to ensure they aren’t accused of altering or manipulating any of the evidence within an accident or crime scene.

More from NBC:

Former Chief Charlie Beck issued an order to officers warning them that any images they captured while on duty, even if the photos were on a personal cellphone, should immediately be considered an official record of the LAPD, and subject to the same restrictions as a confidential document or crime scene photo.

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