A photo of a Long Beach officer standing over blood with his baton has sparked an internal investigation.
Officer Jacob Delgado, 26, of the Long Beach Police Department in California, posted a series of photos that showed “disturbing” images of what took place at protests on Sunday. The officer, who is new to the department, was sent out with other officers to oversee the demonstrations. However, many reports have shown police inciting violence against peaceful demonstrators.
According to BuzzFeed, Delgado posted a picture of himself on Instagram standing in front of a dried, blood-stained floor with his baton showing. The photo, which has now been deleted, was captioned “Bro getting his” by Delgado. There are no reports on where Delgado was stationed during the protests. Delgado posted another photo with two other officers and himself; the caption read: “Back up, on the way.”
“The images depicted here are very disturbing and are not in line with the high standards we hold our officers accountable for,” Chief Robert Luna said in a statement about the images. Police officers told BuzzFeed News that officers are required to “use appropriate discretion when posting photographs or speech that may jeopardize investigations or discredit our Department.” The statement continued: “Upon conclusion of this investigation, disciplinary action will be taken, if necessary.”
The department did not say whether Delgado was the a part of any violent acts against protestors, but it said that Delgado has been removed from patrol.
