Los Angeles police have launched an investigation after a recruitment ad went up on the rightwing website Breitbart, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The department said such a job listing would conflict with its core values.

Police chief Michel Moore said on Saturday on Twitter the LAPD did not purchase ad space from the site and is trying to determine whether the posting was meant to tarnish the department’s image.

Critics have repeatedly accused Breitbart of running racist and sexist content. They cite articles with such headlines as “The Smartest People in the World Are All Men” and “Data: Young Muslims Are a Ticking Time Bomb in the West”.

A number of advertisers have fled the site recently.

Breitbart spokeswoman Elizabeth Moore issued a statement to the Times saying the company is “one of the most pro-police, pro-law-enforcement news organizations in America”.

The job listing says “Choose your future! LAPD is hiring!”

Hours after the police chief raised concerns, the city personnel department issued a statement saying the ad had wound up on “sites that do not reflect the city’s values”.

City of Los Angeles personnel department spokesman Bruce Whidden told the Times his agency buys job ads through Google on behalf of the LAPD and other city departments. The department is now re-examining its ad filters, he said.