L.A. cops retract 'offensive' social media post sympathetic to Iranians

Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News on Jun 23, 2025

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The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department apologized for a social media post expressing sympathy for Iranians impacted by U.S. and Israeli bomb strikes.

The nation’s largest Sheriff’s department posted a message Sunday assuring residents that law enforcement was exercising vigilance following a U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities late Saturday that risked putting community gathering spaces domestically at risk for reprisal.

According to copies of that note preserved online, the original version also said: “Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran.”

It was quickly edited Sunday evening to cut out that part. An apology was issued later that night.

“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,” the apology said. “This post was unacceptable, made in error, and does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the Department.”

The department’s mea culpa statement confessed the original post “fell short” of public official’s expectations to keep communities accurately informed and promised to learn from “this failure.”

Officials also said an internal review was underway to find out how and why the statement was published.

U.S. forces targeted three Iranian nuclear sites Saturday with what appeared to have been precision strikes meant to stop the Middle Eastern nation from developing a nuclear weapons program. The White House believes Operation Midnight Hammer was hugely successful. It followed an Israeli military campaign to defang Iran that began June 12. The U.S. and Israel have consistently stated the world would be less safe if Iran had atomic bombs. The Trump administration has said the operation wasn’t intended to be an act of war against Iran.