The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday deleted and apologized for a post on X that expressed sympathy for “the victims and families impacted” after American strikes on three Iranian nuclear targets this weekend.
The Sheriff’s Department removed the line from similar posts on Facebook and Instagram, saying in the edited posts that “Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is closely monitoring the situation overseas alongside our local, state, and federal partners.”
In the original post, according to a screenshot by the local TV news station KTLA, the department said “Our hearts go out to the victims and the families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran.”
In its statement on Sunday, the Sheriff’s Department called that post “offensive and inappropriate.”
“This post was unacceptable,” the Sheriff’s Department said, “made in error, and does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the Department.”
As a law enforcement agency, the Sheriff’s Department said, it did not comment on “foreign policy or military matters.” It said it was conducting an internal investigation to determine how the post was created and published.
Los Angeles County is home to large populations of both Iranian and Jewish people, including many Iranian Jews.
Of the roughly 400,000 Iranian-born immigrants in the United States, roughly one-third lives in or around Los Angeles, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Westwood, a neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles near the U.C.L.A. campus, has been nicknamed “Tehrangeles.”
Los Angeles is also home to more than 500,000 Jews, the second-largest Jewish community in the U.S., according to 2021 research by Brandeis University.
The Sheriff’s Department’s social media post emphasized that there was no specific danger for residents but encouraged people to be vigilant.
“At the moment, there are no known threats to Los Angeles County. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are increasing patrol checks at places of worship and other sensitive locations throughout the county,” the sheriff’s department said.
Claire Moses is a Times reporter in London, focused on coverage of breaking and trending news.
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