MEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — A Medford police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a controversial social media post.
Officer Jason Montalbano shared an image on his Facebook page of a mushroom cloud with a caption referencing the atomic bombing of Japan during World War II and saying, “It’s time we made peace with Islam.”
Montalbano apologized Wednesday and said he thought the image was meant to support action against the Islamic State group. He says he didn’t intend to demean Muslims through the post.
Lt. Paul Covino says the department takes the situation seriously and will take whatever action is necessary to correct it.
Mayor Stephanie Burke says police officers should be held to a higher standard when using social media.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less