Medford Officer Is Placed On Leave, Apologizes Over Controversial Facebook Post

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.