Kobe Bryant cops’ department ‘had sick ritual of sharing grisly pictures of dead bodies & a violent gang culture’
THE sheriff's department where four cops accused of leaking graphic photos of Kobe Bryant's dead body work allegedly has a long history of sharing images of grisly murder scenes and dead bodies, The Sun can reveal.
Several deputies have blown the whistle on the culture of fear around the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, which is at center of a lawsuit brought by Vanessa Bryant after gruesome pictures of the were leaked.
Joey Cruz, , Michael Russell and Raul Versales are named in Vanessa Bryant's suit as the deputies who leaked the graphic images.
Miller added that it didn't surprise him , such is the culture at the LASD.
Even addressing reporters in March 2020, Sheriff Villanueva stated: “Unfortunately, ever since they invented the Polaroid camera, this has been a problem in law enforcement across the nation, probably across the world, because it just makes it so much easier. And then there’s - there’s cops - they keep death books, for example, where . . . they have photos from crime scenes throughout their careers.”
Bryant’s lawsuit alleged that within 48 hours of the crash, photos had spread to at least 10 members of the department.
One deputy, it is alleged, had taken between 25 and 100 photos of the crash scene on his cell phone.
There are also disturbing allegations about what those deputies did with the photos of Kobe, Gianna and the other passengers.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department also stands accused of spreading gruesome photos but they declined to comment when approached by The Sun.
The second part of the lawsuit she shared included allegations that officer Joey Cruz showed crash photographs to a bartender at the Baja California Bar and Grill in Norwalk, California.
Miller is now hoping to take his trial to court but says he does only not want money, he is "demanding massive reform at the Sheriff's department."
Sheriff Alex Villanueava previously tweeted about the case: "We will refrain from trying this case in the media and will wait for the appropriate venue.
"Our hearts go out to all the families affected by the tragedy."
When asked whether the four officers are still serving members of LASD, the department's public information officer directed The Sun to the Lost Hills Sheriff's Department where they are believed to have been based.
The watch commander then told The Sun he was refusing to answer whether the four deputies were still serving all not because they were protected by the California Police Officer's Bill of Rights.
When pressed again, the public information officer said: "I was instructed by my command staff that we are only referring to the twitter statement from the sheriff."
The LASD is also facing a state civil right probe into corruption and wrong doing, but the Attorney General was unable to comment on an active investigation when approached by The Sun.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Although LASD wouldn't comment on ongoing litigation they did highlight a 2020 statement in which Alex Villanueava announced 26 department employees will receive letters of intent to suspend or terminate as a result of their "involvement in a fight between deputies".
"Following that incident, allegations arose about a deputy clique within the Department at the East Los Angeles patrol station of a subgroup known as the “Bandidos....After 20 months in office, we have taken the legal and procedural steps necessary to ensure that we are holding our employees accountable to the rule of law."