Police officer under fire for anti-Islam Facebook post


Investigators say a Massachusetts police officer is under fire for something he shared on Facebook.

Jason Maltobano shared an image of a mushroom cloud with the caption, “Japan has been at peace with the U.S. since September 2, 1945…It’s time we made peace with Islam.”

Maltobano is a longtime officer with the Medford force, but is now being criticized for the statement because some said he would exercise bias while on the job.

Now, the Washington D.C.-based Council on Islamic Relations is sending out a message that this is cause for concern.

Medford police said they are not brushing the comment under the rug.

“Of course we’re taking it seriously. Will try to move through it swiftly and take whatever action is necessary to correct that situation,” said Lt. Paul Covino.

Medford Mayor Stephanie Burke told FOX25 she was taken aback by the post and is calling for a review of the department’s social media, as well as that of the city.

“All will be held to the highest of standards, no excuses,” Burke told FOX25. “The use of social media needs to be taken into consideration by all city employees. Police officers are held to a high standard and should be mindful when posting to their personal accounts.”

Medford police added that their department is not prejudiced.

“We try to uphold the utmost of standards with everybody in the public, and we don’t want anybody to think of us as people that are discriminatory to anyone in any way,” Covino said.

The department does have a social media policy that states officers need to conduct themselves in a way that is beyond reproach in order to maintain public confidence.

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