The Los Angeles County Sheriff said on its social media channels that the day after the U.S. military bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, they went out to the “heart” of Iran's “victims.”
The post sparked a rapid backlash – followed by an apology.
It is not clear that the initial news released on Sunday was the initial news on X, Facebook and Instagram.
The department removed the post from X and edited its Facebook and Instagram posts to remove the first two sentences. An apology issued Sunday night called the original post “offensive and inappropriate.”
According to screenshots of KTLA's tweet, the original post reads: “Our hearts are on the hearts of victims and families affected by the Iran bombing. Despite this tragic incident, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is still closely monitoring the situation with our local, state and federal parties.”
The post also notes that despite no known threats to Los Angeles County, the department will patrol inspections across the county’s places of worship and other sensitive locations “out of caution.”
The edited version of the post on Instagram and Facebook does not include the first sentence of the original post and mentions any mention from Iran, but points out that the department is monitoring the “area overseas.”
The department said the postal was wrong and did 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 affairs. Our mission remains focused on protecting public safety and serving our diverse communities,” the statement continued.
The department has initiated an internal review to determine how posts are created and posted and is taking steps to strengthen the “social media oversight protocol”, the statement said.
