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'LA Murder Cop' Investigated for Tweeting Photo of Blanket-Covered Body at South L.A. Crime Scene
Image via @LAMurderCop/yfrog
If you Tweet about your work on your personal account, should you get in trouble with your boss? What if your workplace happens to be crime scenes?Twitter's @LAMurderCop is Sal LaBarbera ("Big City Homicide Boss" says his mini-bio on the social media site), and he is under fire for sending out a photo he took at one of the crime scenes he was called to. LaBarbera's official title is LAPD Detective Supervisor with the South Bureau Division, and he has over a quarter-century with the criminal gang homicide division in L.A.
The image is of "the bloody body of a murdered male covered by a sheet," describes CBS2. The photo gained attention because a Boyle Heights-based blogger took issue with the image and posted about it.
LaBarbera refutes, however, the assumption it is a sheet covered in blood: "All should know re. The photo. It's a blanket not a sheet. The red is the design on the blanket. Sorry to disappoint," he followed up on Twitter.
Huerta said of the photo that he believed it "crossed the line," and that posting it showed a lack of professionalism.
LaBarbera claims he posts images of crime scenes to Twitter to raise awareness of gang violence. He calls the photo "work related" and says he does not regret putting it online.
With the rise in popularity with social media, the contemporary workplace may need to revisit their handbooks when it comes to what can and cannot be shared on personal accounts, and when. Some sports organizations have famously banned their players from Tweeting during training, or during games, for example. However, some businesses make social media a requirement of some departments and jobs.
When it comes to LaBarbera's controversial snapshot, the LAPD says "there is an internal investigation underway and there is no department policy set pertaining to employees using social media."
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