New CA Law Would Prohibit Officers Taking Unauthorized Photos of Bodies at Crime, Accident Scenes

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill — prompted by an incident at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others — on Monday that makes it illegal for first responders to take unauthorized photos of the dead at crime and accident scenes.

Effective next year on Jan. 1, the legislation would make it a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $1,000 fine per violation, for a first responder to take a photo “for any purpose other than an official law enforcement purpose or a genuine public interest,” Yahoo News reports.

The bill was prompted after deputies in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took unauthorized photos of the deceased at the site of the Bryant helicopter crash in Calabasas that were later shared outside the context of the investigation, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times .

Bryant's widow, Vanessa, is suing over that incident.