The Los Angeles Police Department has launched an internal investigation after officers reportedly shared a Valentine’s Day image of George Floyd with the caption, “You take my breath away.”
The department is also looking into whether the image, which was reported by the Los Angeles Times, was created by an LAPD employee.
“At this point the department has not identified any actual postings in the workplace or identified that it was in fact our department employee who created the image,” the department tweeted Saturday.
The LAPD did not respond Sunday to a request for more details.
Floyd, a Black man, died on May 25 after ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. His death prompted waves of police accountability and racial justice demonstrations across the United States, as well as violent and destructive actions in some cities.
Three other officers were also charged in Floyd’s killing.
Police Chief Michel Moore told the L.A. Times that an officer filed a complaint about the image and will be interviewed by officials Monday.
“Our investigation is to determine the accuracy of the allegations while also reinforcing our zero tolerance for anything with racist views,” Moore told the newspaper.
If the allegations are true, Moore added, “people will find my wrath.”
It wasn’t immediately clear where the image was allegedly shared or how many officers circulated it. If the complaint is confirmed, the department said, “any employee or supervisor is directed to take possession and identify those present. The Department will have zero tolerance for this type of behavior.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
