A San Diego police officer is in hot water after she posted a controversial picture on Instagram of herself dressed in riot gear.
The image was captioned with: "Waiting waiting waiting!! Just riot already people!!! #waitingsucks."
The unnamed officer was policing Friday during Donald Trump's rally at the San Diego convention center.
Some San Diego residents and Trump protesters are upset about the photo and the message they think it conveys from the police.
“It sends a really bad image for the San Diego Police Department and we want answers,” Trump protester Michaela Glover said.
NBC 7 has decided not to use the officer's name as a matter of safety.
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“It looks like they were taking that as a joke, and our lives are not a joke. Our safety is not a joke," exclaimed Glover.
“They post ‘come on riot already so we can use this equipment against you,’” said Cathy Mendonca of United Against Police Terror. “That’s pretty much what the message was."
A San Diego Police spokesman said the department will investigate the incident "immediately," adding they are thankful "for bringing the private social media post of one of our officers to our attention."
Glover said she was one of the thousands of people outside the convention center protesting, which she witnessed take a violent turn.
Though NBC 7 hasn't been able to confirm what time the pictures were posted Glover said they went online around 2 p.m., before Trump spoke and before the crowd turned violent.
“It’s unprofessional for you to be on duty or start your shift and think it’s okay to post what you posted,” she said.
Kevin LaChapelle, a criminal justice professor and former police officer, shared his thoughts on officers using social media during the rally.
“I think officers should not be tweeting,” he told NBC 7. “I think that can be provocative to protesters, for example, so I don't think that's a good idea. So I think that's probably not the best use of a police officer's time to be Tweeting out like that.”
Though the officer has taken her account down her critics say the damage is done and are calling for her suspension.
