LAPD stops purchasing advertising from Google after ad found on Breitbart website causes concern

LOS ANGELES (FOX 11) - An LAPD recruitment ad has created some outrage online, not over what it said, but where it was placed.

It all began with the editor of "The Daily Beast" posting a photo online showing an LAPD recruitment ad under the main banner at Breitbart.com.

Breitbart is a right-wing site, co-founded by Steve Bannon, who was one of President Trump's top advisors until he resigned in 2017.

The Los Angeles Police Department quickly put out a statement saying they celebrate diversity, calling Breitbart a site that quote: "creates a negative juxtaposition to our core values."

“LAPD did NOT purchase or otherwise acquire ad space on that website,'' LAPD Chief Michel Moore tweeted Saturday morning. "Senior
leadership at LA City Personnel Department also relayed they did not authorize or pay for this ad either.''

It turns out the ad was placed there by Google. Google ads follow people from site to site, no matter where they go.

The department announced later in a tweet on @joinlapd, its Twitter account intended for recruitment purposes, “We have stopped these
Google Ads altogether while we reexamine our ad filters and take all necessary steps to ensure tighter control of ad settings.''

The police department says it will stop using Google while it reexamines its ad filters.