A post on the Facebook page of a veteran Peoria police sergeant depicting the photo of seven Centennial High School students in Peoria, four with guns and one holding up a T-shirt with a bullet-riddled image of President Barack Obama, was brought to the U.S. Secret Service's attention by a citizen and an "appropriate follow-up" is being conducted, a Washington D.C-based spokesman for the federal agency told The Republic Friday.

"Any time information like this is brought to our attention we have to conduct a follow-up," Max Milien, spokesman for the Secret Service, said.

Milien described the Facebook post in the category of "unusual direction of interest," which would merit an agency follow-up, he said.

"We understand an individual's right to free speech but we also have the right to speak to the individual to determine what their intent is," Milien added.

Pat Shearer, the 25-year Peoria police sergeant, who remains on active duty, also faces an internal investigation on the matter. An administrative investigation was prompted after they got word the Secret Service was looking into the photograph, Peoria police spokesman Jay Davies said.

"We were made aware of that situation today and we have opened an administrative investigation to determine if there are any policy violations that took place," Davies said Thursday.

In an e-mailed statement Friday, Peoria spokesman Bo Larsen said that the "city values a high standard of professional conduct and ethical behavior. These are expectations we have of all our employees."

Danielle Airey, a spokeswoman for the Peoria Unified School District, confirmed Friday that all seven young men in the photo are Centennial High students.

"We're going to continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and gather information so our administration is well versed," Airey said. "While the incident did not occur on our campus, it is an unfortunate event that happens to involve students and adults. It does not represent what we are as a school or district or community."

The photo has since been removed from Shearer's page.

It was posted Jan. 20, before the president's visit to the Valley on Wednesday.

Both Larsen and Davies declined further comment on the matter pending the investigation.

"Until the investigation is complete and any appeals are exhausted, I cannot discuss the details," Davies said.

Jon Meck, president of the City of Peoria Police Supervisors Association, said Shearer has been advised by the association's attorney not to make any public statements and he also declined comment on the matter.

"For his privacy and for the integrity of the investigation by the department I won't make any statement," Meck said.

Meck added that Shearer has a great reputation as a police officer.

"The people he supervises respect him, his peers respect him," Meck said.

The New York Times described the picture as showing seven young men, four posing with weapons and one holding the T-shirt, "with small holes and gashes," bearing a likeness of the president above the word "Hope."

The Times reported the image was also posted on the Facebook page of one of the young men in the picture posing with a gun.

According to the Peoria Police Department's social-media policy, which includes social-networking sites, "employees shall not post, transmit, reproduce and/or disseminate information (text, pictures, video, audio, etc.) to the Internet or any other forum (public or private) that would tend to discredit or reflect unfavorably upon the department or any of the department's employees."

Republic reporter Kristena Hansen contributed to this report.