A new law in California makes it a crime for first responders to take unauthorized photos of deceased people at scenes where there has been an accident or crime. Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the legislation on Monday, which was brought on by the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in January, according to the Associated Press.
Unauthorized photos were reportedly shared on social media following the crash that killed Bryant. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's widow, has sued the department as a result of the photos being spread.
The new law will take effect on Jan. 1. In addition, first responders will be charged with a misdemeanor and could be fined up to $1,000 per offense for taking any type of unauthorized photo.
After eight different California deputies were accused of sharing photos from the scene of the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he ordered them to delete the images. He added that the department has a policy against taking such photos at crime scenes, but not at accident scenes. That's where this new law comes in.
Bryant was on the way to his daughter's youth basketball game when the helicopter they were on crashed into a Calabasas, California hillside on Jan. 26.
