Albert Lea city officials on Monday  issued a statement distancing the city from the display of a Confederate flag on a Hartland Fire Department truck during the Third of July Parade.

In an email statement, officials  said the display of the flag does not represent the values of Albert Lea’s fire department or the city as an organization.

“We believe that the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and city of Hartland will be appropriately addressing this issue in the immediate future,” according to the statement.

The comments come after the display, by Hartland firefighter Brian Nielsen, has sparked controversy in the community and across the country.

Nielsen said he flew the flag because he’s fed up with political correctness and that so many people across the country are trying to change history by taking the flag away.

He said he didn’t think flying the flag would spur as much discussion as it has and that neither his town nor his department had anything to do with it.