L.A. sheriff's officials say their post on Iran was an error and 'offensive'
A day after news that the U.S. military bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department said on its social media channels their "hearts go out" to Iranian "victims."
The post sparked quick backlash — and a quick apology.
It's unclear what time the initial message, which was on X, Facebook and Instagram, was posted Sunday.
The department deleted the post from X and edited its Facebook and Instagram posts to remove the first two sentences. An apology issued Sunday evening referred to the original post as "offensive and inappropriate."
According to a screenshot of the tweet from KTLA, the original post read, "Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran. While this tragic event occurred overseas, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is closely monitoring the situation alongside our local, state, and federal partners."
Read more: What you need to know about the U.S. strikes in Iran
The post also stated that, although there are no known threats to Los Angeles County, the department would be increasing patrol checks at places of worship and other sensitive locations throughout the county "out of an abundance of caution."
The edited versions of the post on Instagram and Facebook exclude the first sentence of the original post and any mention of Iran, instead stating that the department is monitoring "the situation overseas."
In its apology, the department said the post was made in error and did not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the department.
pic.twitter.com/z6MhYB8knl
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) June 23, 2025
"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," the statement continued.
The department has launched an internal review to determine how the posts were created and published, and it is taking steps to strengthen "social media oversight protocols," the statement said.
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
17 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
The Budget Bill Is Creating a Republican Existential Crisis
The Republican budget bill, a $3.7 trillion tax cut packaged with $1.2 trillion in spending cuts, is deeply problematic legislation from almost any perspective — including those of its authors. The Congressional Budget Office has the details about how it will be expensive and ineffectual. But for Republicans, President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' is creating what amounts to an existential crisis. For half a century, Republicans have been committed to the policy of lower taxes to aid the economy — impervious to any evidence that tax cuts are inefficient and prohibitively expensive. At this point, to walk away from the bill is to abandon their economic raison d'etre.
Bloomberg
17 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Bloomberg Surveillance TV: June 23, 2025
- Norman Roule, Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies - Daan Struyven, Head: Commodity Research at Goldman Sachs - Mark Esper, former US Secretary of Defense - Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Norman Roule, Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, discusses the US strikes on Iran and what's next for conflict in the Middle East. Daan Struyven, Head: Commodity Research at Goldman Sachs, offers his outlook for oil and global commodities in the wake of the US' attack on Iran. Mark Esper, former US Secretary of Defense, talks about the strategy aimed at weakening Iran's nuclear capabilities and whether early indications show the US achieved its objectives. Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, talks about Israel's position in the Middle East after the US' strike on Iran.
Bloomberg
17 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Netherlands Defence Minister: NATO-wide 5% defence spend would be "historic"
Ruben Brekelmans, Netherlands Minister of Defence said they and their European partners support President Donald Trump's calls to encourage Iran to the negotiation table in order to "come to a sustainable solution". Speaking about the upcoming NATO meeting, he told Bloomberg's Oliver Crook "if we agree to 5% spending on core defence and defence-related matters, that would be a historic step" and said it would be of particular significance "if 32 allies in unity agree on this". (Source: Bloomberg)
