The Facebook post was shared after five police officers were shot dead and seven others were injured by a gunman in Dallas.
A post on the Seattle Police Officers Guild Facebook page was deleted after drawing ire on social media following the death of five police officers in Dallas.
The post read, in part, “The hatred of law enforcement by a minority movement is disgusting. … #weshallovercome”
Detective Ron Smith, president of the officers’ guild, confirmed the post had been on the union’s Facebook page, but said it was deleted because it had been taken out of context.
“Somehow some folks were offended that police officers are disgusted at the level of violence directed toward law enforcement officers across this country by the vitriol spewed by a small segment of society,” Smith said in an email. “We all know the vast majority of people support their [law enforcement officers]. We shall overcome meant just that; we will persevere and work through this time in history.”
Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole said she wasn’t aware of the post when asked about it Thursday.
She said during her law-enforcement career, she has found the vast majority of officers to be hard-working and decent.
“Do we have bad apples? Yes,” Said O’Toole, who noted it is the department’s job to weed them out.
Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story misquoted the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild Facebook post.