CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - Some law enforcement agencies in southern Illinois have started putting the phrase “In God We Trust” on their vehicles.
Agencies that have placed stickers with the phrase on vehicles include sheriff’s offices in Perry and Jefferson counties, and police in Sesser.
“That small detail is really starting to take off in our region,” Sesser Mayor Jason Ashmore said. “We did it to lift the spirits of our community, during troubling times.”
Supporters have rallied around the phrase, while others question its place in law enforcement, saying it endorses religious beliefs, The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan (https://bit.ly/1QuzScq ) reports.
The Benton City Council discussed the issue last week, but didn’t make a decision. Mayor Fred Kondritz said it “seems like too much of a slippery slope.”
“As a Christian, I could stand up for my religion, but it’s not about me or what I believe,” Kondritz said. “What’s to stop an officer putting anything on their car if you allow this?”
The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation opposes the stickers used by police. The group sued the U.S. Treasury Department in 2013 over public use of the phrase.
Madeline Zeigler, a legal fellow with the foundation, said the trend of using the phrase on police vehicles peaked in the summer, with Missouri allowing most sheriff’s offices to display it. Following citizen complaints, the foundation has sent 63 letters to law enforcement agencies across the country about the stickers, including to Jefferson County.
Jefferson County Chief Deputy Clint Taylor said the stickers went on squad vehicles in the summer. They’re “sticking behind it,” he said.
“We were tired of bowing down to the few people who might complain,” Taylor said. “We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and we’re not telling anyone what they have to believe.”
In Marion, Mayor Robert Butler said the stickers are staying off police vehicles. He said religion is private and that he doesn’t “see why you have to advertise it.”
“Those vehicles just seem unnecessary to me, but it’s just a matter of personal taste,” Butler said.
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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, https://www.southernillinoisan.com
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