Alabama: Police Wearing Ten Commandments Pins
NBC 13 reports:
The pins were issued shortly after the three officers -- Charles Bennett, Harley Chisholm and Carlos Owen -- were killed while trying to serve a warrant on June 17. Officers continue to show their support and pay their respects by wearing a Ten Commandments pin. ... "I’m a Christian, and I’m a believer, and I want to honor God any way I can, and this is one way I can and also just to show the importance of the law, (that) our law is derived from the Ten Commandments," said Birmingham Police Officer and Chaplain Dean Pesnell.
This is rather ironic to me because more than once I used the example of police officers proselytizing while giving you a traffic ticket as an example of behavior that would be permitted for a private person but prohibited for a government employee acting in their official capacity. This isn't quite as dramatic as that, but it comes awfully close — too close, in fact.
Pins saying "Jesus is the Only Way" would be a clear violation, but I'm not quite as sure about these. I suspect that they probably shouldn't be worn because they communicate the idea that certain religions and religious beliefs are privileged among the police officers, something that religious minorities shouldn't have to deal with when they are already in what is likely a difficult situation.
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Gee, I guess you just want to read that “free exercise” clause and “free speech” clause right out of the Constitution for cops, eh? Where EXACTLY does the Constitution say that a police officer, or any government official/employee for that matter, checks his constituttional rights at the door of his office?
Adversary: it’s a well-established principle that government officials, when acting in their official capacity, cannot cite “free speech” or “free exercise” rights to express and practice private, personal beliefs. As should be clear, this is because “free speech” and “free exercise” rights are rights which apply to them as private citizens. So, when they are acting as private citizens, they have full rights to speak and act as others. When they are acting as officers of the state, however, their speech and actions are those of the state. This is why a police officer cannot try to proselytize to you when giving you a traffic ticket.
Or do you think that’s wrong? Should police be able to proselytize to people they have stopped?
Police should NEVER preach to some one they have stopped. They have stepped way over the line if they bring up anything beyond the reason they stopped you.
What brought this up? did someone you know get a sermon before or after getting a ticket?
What a bummer!
On an other subject I had a lot of fun yesterday Two young men came up to me at my front stoop and asked if I was a christian? naturally I truthly stated that I am an atheist and we had a 30 minute discussionon various topics including the great science fiction stories in the bible.. the lack of any history in the bible and many other topics. After about 45 minutes they left and I’m fairly sure they will not come back to my house again. I was very nice bit it was obvious that they had lost the discussion.
It is difficult because cops are on duty all the time. Many workers are working two or even three jobs. If they are not allowed to discuss sex, politics, or religion on the job, when can they do so? The basic rule in the military is that you can be political out of uniform - but look out!