Vanessa Bryant wants to publicly release the names of the four Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who allegedly leaked unauthorized photos of the site of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and seven other passengers. She posted on Instagram stating, “The Sheriff’s Department wants to redact the names of the deputies that took and/or shared photos of my husband, daughter and other victims. They want their names to be exempt from the public. Anyone else facing allegations would be unprotected, named and released to the public. Not all law enforcement is bad. These specific deputies need to be held accountable for their actions just like everyone else.” She included hashtag double standard.
County attorneys want to keep the deputies’ names private, citing the easy accessibility to hackers and the need to keep their personal information and addresses away from the internet and potential hackers.
Bryant’s attorneys seek damages for negligence and invasion of privacy after one of the deputies allegedly showed the bodies of the crash victims to a woman at a bar in an attempt to impress her. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva ordered the destruction of all photos and videos after a bartender overheard the conversation of the accused and filed a written complaint.
These unethical actions prompted California lawmakers to make it a crime for first responders to take any photos or videos of the deceased at any crime scene or accident.
Vanessa Bryant’s attorneys added L.A. County Fire Department, the four deputies and the Sheriff’s Department to her civil rights lawsuit against the county. The amended complaint included the Sheriff’s Department internal affairs report proving one deputy took 25 to 100 photos at the crash site, sharing amongst other officers and others by phone-sharing technology and text over the next 48 hours.