After reportedly receiving criticism, officials with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deleted a post to social media that referred to people in Iran as “victims” of “the recent bombings.”
It’s unclear exactly what time the first post to X, formerly Twitter, was made before it was deleted, but officials said that they were closely monitoring the situation with local, state and federal partners and that there were no known threats to L.A. County.
The department also said that deputy patrols at places of worship and “other sensitive locations throughout the county” would be increased out of an abundance of caution.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran,” the now deleted tweet began with.
In a follow-up post, which has also now been taken off X but remains on Facebook, the first two sentences were omitted.
Commenters on LASD’s Facebook page were quick to note the change, with one user commenting, “Damage control stepped in quick,” while another wrote “Changed your liberal tune a bit!”
Asked for comment by KTLA, the sheriff’s department released the following statement:
“We are issuing this statement to formally apologize for an offensive and inappropriate social media post recently posted on our Department social media platforms regarding the ongoing conflict in Iran. This post was unacceptable, made in error, and does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the Department. As a law enforcement agency, we do not comment on foreign policy or military matters. Our mission remains solely focused on protecting public safety and serving our diverse communities.
We fully recognize that the words and messages we share carry weight. As law enforcement professionals, we are entrusted with a position of public responsibility, and that trust demands that we communicate accurately. In this instance, we fell short of that expectation, and we are taking quick corrective action. We are committed to learning from this failure and to prevent such incidents from occurring again.
We have updated our social media post and have launched an internal review to determine how it was created and published. Steps are being taken to strengthen our social media oversight protocols and ensure that any future communications align with our Department’s standards of professionalism, respect, and accountability.”