Nazi flag hanging in California corrections department window removed amid outcry

A Nazi flag hanging in a California Department Of Corrections (CDCR) office in Sacramento has been removed following public outcry and complaints.

CBS 13 Sacramento reports the flag was noticed by pedestrians passing the building in downtown Sacramento, and officers have now taken the flag down. The flag and other signs could be seen through open blinds in the window of the office.

{mosads}The state parole officers who put up the Nazi flag say it was intended to be used as a teaching tool for other staff to know what items to look out for, according to the news outlet.

The flag and other signs in the window were taken from prisoners at correctional facilities and displayed to staff as a way to show the type of hate signs that are found in jails.

Along with the Nazi flag, a pair of SS bolts could be seen in the window. The bolts are a white supremacist symbol inspired by Nazi Germany’s police force.

Michael Johnson, a man who spotted the flag and spoke to CBS 13, told the outlet he believed it was a Halloween display before he noticed additional gang paraphernalia and hate symbols.

“I just don’t think it’s the proper display for a street-facing window,” he said.

The CDCR issued a statement saying the Nazi flag and other symbols have been removed and they are looking into what led to them being put up in the first place.

“CDCR has a zero-tolerance policy for the display of objects that are derogatory in nature and we are taking this issue very seriously. The flag has been removed and we will be looking into the circumstances for why the flag was in the office in the first place,” the department said in a statement to CBS 13.

The Hill has reached out to the CDCR for comment.