HOPEDALE, Mass. — A transphobic post that appeared on the Hopedale Police Department’s Facebook page is the work of a hacker, the town’s police chief said.
The highly concerning hoax post, detailing a violent encounter involving officers and a transgender individual, went public around midnight Wednesday after “unauthorized access was gained” to the department’s social media account, Hopedale Police Chief Mark. A Giovanella said in a statement.
“The posted message was a hoax designed to cause shock and alarm to our community and our followers,” Giovanella explained. “We can ensure our community we are aggressively addressing the issue, and we will continue to provide the services that community and followers are accustomed to.”
As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the post remained live with dozens of shares and hundreds of comments.
Giovanella assured the public that his department is working closely with cyber security officials and Facebook to get the offensive post removed.
The incident remains under investigation.
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