Minneapolis City Council member Phillipe Cunningham told the television station that an officer had put some inappropriate ornaments on the tree as a prank after it had been decorated.

In 2015, the Fourth Precinct was a flashpoint of anger after the shooting death of Jamar Clark by police, WCCO reported.

Minnesota civil rights activist Ron Edwards called the tree decorations a "wink wink" to racist stereotypes, the Star Tribune reported.

“It’s a modern-day version of a dog whistle, tainted with racism, specifically against the African-American community,” Edwards told the newspaper.

In a statement Friday, Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo said he was “ashamed and appalled by the behavior of those who would feel comfortable to act in such a manner that goes against our core department values of trust, accountability and professional service.”