Does 'In God We Trust' belong on a police car?
Activists want 'In God We Trust' bumper stickers removed from state vehicles, but can the motto of the United States be banned?
Sheriffs in Stone County, Mo., placed 'In God We Trust' bumper stickers on patrol cars, sparking a nationwide trend and a church versus state debate.
Courtesy of the Stone County Sheriff鈥檚 Office
The latest battle over the separation of church and state might be taking place on a bumper near you.
Some police officers, sheriff鈥檚 deputies, and firefighters have been placing "In God We Trust" bumper stickers on their cars in recent weeks, sparking a debate about the appropriate relationship between church and state.
The origin of the trend is unclear, but some are crediting Green County Sheriff Jim Arnott, who placed the motto on patrol vehicles several months ago.
"I made the decision. I had been meaning to do it since taking office in 2009 and I just got around to it," Mr. Arnott 聽in an interview.
The trend has spread to Illinois,聽Kentucky,聽Mississippi, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and elsewhere.
Sheriff Doug Rader of Stone County, Mo., said he got the inspiration from Arnott. "There has been no better time than now to proudly display our national motto," Mr. Rader聽. "I鈥檓 very humbled at the amount of support behind it."
"Right now it seems like in our country law enforcement has been painted with a brush that we鈥檙e bad guys," Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen . "So I was trying to think of something that might set a fire to our guys. We want to be proud and we want people to be proud of us, and we know we鈥檙e better than how people portray us."
Not everyone is pleased.
"Placing ['In God We Trust'] on County owned vehicles, particularly with taxpayer funding, is a violation of the establishment clause of the first amendment of the Constitution, not to mention that it's divisive and offensive to those who do not believe in your deity!" Facebook user Craig Mcdonald posted in a comment on聽聽"I'm all for free expression, and if individual officers want to put ['In God We Trust'] on their personal vehicles, then go for it ... Just don't spend MY money trying to glorify YOUR god!"
Others support the bumper stickers.
"I pay taxes in Stone County and I'm am so glad that my tax dollar is spend on putting IN GOD WE TRUST on police car.....We need more of that," Judy Hord commented on the sheriff鈥檚 Facebook page.
Northwest Florida Daily News that Freedom From Religion Foundation lodged a complaint demanding the stickers鈥� removal from Walton County sheriff鈥檚 office cruisers.
"It is inappropriate for the sheriff鈥檚 office to display 鈥業n God We Trust鈥� on county property," the nonprofit foundation in a July 29 letter to Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. 鈥淪tatements about a god have no place on sheriff cars.鈥�
Mr. Adkinson sees it in another way.聽"I respect and appreciate the religious convictions or lack thereof of all citizens," his August 4 response . 鈥淚 see absolutely no conflict in this matter. You are obviously unaware that 鈥榠n God we trust鈥� is the state motto of the state of Florida, and has been since 1886. This was reaffirmed in 2006."
He concluded, "If the Freedom From Religion Foundation wishes us to take them off our vehicles, I suggest that they get a Judge鈥檚 order or a new Sheriff."