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After Kobe Bryant Crash Photos Leaked, Sheriff Wants Oversight of Investigation

Deputies had been reported sharing images.

The Los Angeles County sheriff has brought in his chief oversight official to monitor the investigation into the reported sharing of photos of the fatal helicopter crash scene involving former LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Sheriff’s deputies allegedly took graphic photos the site on January 26 and later leaked them, the Times reported last month. Now, there will be a closer watch over the investigation into the officers’ reported actions.

“I am requesting that the Office of the Inspector General immediately assign an investigator to our case for oversight and transparency purposes,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a March 4 letter, according to the Times. “I believe early monitoring of the LASD investigation will ensure a high quality and comprehensive investigation that will enhance public trust and confidence in both organizations.

In addition, Villanueva has asked the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission to review the agency’s policies in the aftermath of the scandal over deputies sharing photos of the helicopter crash.”
The panel will give input on department rules on taking photographs at crime and accident scenes.

Three days after the crash, the sheriff’s department received a written complaint that a deputy was showing the horrific images taken at the scene of the crash to people at a bar. 
According to Gary Robb, Vanessa Bryant’s lawyer, she went to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department on January 26, the day of the crash, to request “a no-fly zone,” and to ban photographers from shooting the wreckage where her husband, her 13-year-old daughter, and seven others perished, ESPN reported.
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“This was of critical importance to her as she desired to protect the dignity of all the victims, and their families. At that time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the families' privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests," Robb said on March 1, according to the report. 

Robb also added he wants those involved to be held responsible and asked that they "face the harshest possible discipline, and that their identities be brought to light, to ensure that the photos are not further disseminated."

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