The rules for public government and political leader's social media accounts are ever-changing, but the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department was widely criticized for a post calling the United States strike on Iran's nuclear sites "a tragic event."
CBS News reported the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Sunday posted on X, Facebook and Instagram, "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."
A few moments later the post was edited to remove mentions of Iranian families and victims and noting that they were "closely monitoring the situation oversees." And then it was entirely deleted.
After that, the department issued a long letter apologizing for the original post, saying it was "inappropriate and offensive." See it here. The apology says an internal review has been launched into the department's social media oversight policies.
Reaction was swift, with a man who identifies himself as a Chicago cop on X, writing, "As a 31 year veteran of a Big City Police Department, I have to say that your initial post, calling the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites a "tragic event", was beyond embarrassing. Since when do LE agencies comment on national defense, or foreign policy issues? Try policing LA."
A user named Sarah Fields, piled on alongside many others, writing, "You’re doing an internal review to determine who published it? Are you trying to tell us that you don’t know who runs your social media?
More than 1 million people have viewed the apology, but the Sheriff's Department has not commented further or detailed who created the post or if any action was taken against them.