Posted Oct. 29, 2008 – Authorities are keeping an eye on a Hollywood, Calif., house where an effigy of the Republican vice presidential nominee hangs from a noose.

The Halloween display showing a likeness of Sarah Palin hanging by a noose has angered some residents who reported it as a hate crime, authorities said Monday.

But Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said the mannequin sporting a beehive hairdo, glasses and a red coat does not rise to the level of a hate crime because it was part of a Halloween display.

"I'm not defending this; I'm not criticizing it. It doesn't rise to the level of hate crime," said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who said he went out to the house himself to look at the display this morning. "Now, if there was a crime against bad taste. …"

Is a mannequin hung from a noose, bearing the likeness of Sarah Palin a mere Halloween prank or an incredibly distasteful over-the-line antic?  Click “Discuss Now,” on the upper right, to have your say.