Los Angeles police launched an internal investigation after police officers reportedly shared an image of George Floyd on Valentine’s Day with the caption “You take my breath away”.
The Los Angeles Police Department is also investigating whether the image, which was reported by the Los Angeles Times, was created by a police official.
“At this point, the department has not identified any actual postings at the workplace or identified that it was actually our department employee who created the image,” the police department tweeted Saturday.
Police did not respond to a request for more details on Sunday.
Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. His death has generated waves of police accountability and demonstrations of racial justice across the United States, as well as violent and destructive actions in some cities.
Three other officers were also charged with Floyd’s death.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore told the Times that a police officer filed a complaint about the image and will be interviewed by officials on Monday.
“Our investigation aims to determine the accuracy of the allegations and, at the same time, reinforce our zero tolerance for anything with racist views,” Moore told the newspaper.
If the allegations are substantiated, added Moore, “people will find my anger.”
It was not immediately clear where the image was supposedly shared or how many police officers circulated it. If the complaint is confirmed, the department said, “any employee or supervisor is instructed to take office and identify those present. The Department will have zero tolerance for this type of behavior ”.