Sign hacked near USC to flash crude message about LAPD
Officials are looking into an electronic sign near USC apparently hacked to display inappropriate messages about the Los Angeles Police Department, a university official said Thursday.
Various pictures of the sign surfaced on Instagram and Twitter on Thursday morning, showing the crude message, which included references to the Police Department, a posterior and “probing.”
John Thomas, chief of USC’s Department of Public Safety, confirmed the sign had been hacked but noted it was not on campus.
“It was a single electronic traffic sign belonging to our department and is used by us and LAPD Southwest to put out generic crime prevention tips,” Thomas wrote in an email.
Pictures of the sign quickly made the social media rounds, drawing attention from students and others with ties to the university.
One person wrote: “Laughed. So. Hard.”
“Whoever hacked into LAPD’s system and did this ... please let me buy you a drink,” another wrote. “Or seven.”
ALSO:
Legal claim filed against L.A. over control of Ontario airport
As Senate acts, trying to figure out why Americans love their guns
Boy arrested on suspicion of bringing pot-laced brownies to school
kate.mather@latimes.com
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
