Texas Police Force Places ‘In God We Trust’ Decals On Patrol Cars, Receives Backlash

A police department in Childress, Texas, is receiving complaints after posting “In God We Trust” decals on their police cars. However, the department says that the decal is in response to the recent rash of police officer murders and that the saying is patriotic as it is our nation’s motto.

The Daily Mail reports that the Texas police department is receiving a number of complaints for a recently added decal on squad cars that says, “In God We Trust.” The decals were placed on all patrol cars, according to Police Chief Adrian Garcia, as a means to “get back to where we once were.”

“I think with all the assaults happening on officers across the country… it’s time we get back to where we once were.”

Garcia points to a recent rash of police officer shootings, eight killed in the last month, as the reasoning for the decal to be added to the police patrol cars. The Childress Police Department isn’t the only police department adding the decals to their fleet of squad cars.

Departments in Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, Virginia and Kentucky have also added the “In God We Trust” decals to their vehicles. One Missouri department notes that the decal was a sign of patriotism as it is our nation’s motto. However, some people disagree and have lodged complaints noting that the signage is against the law as it amounts to the endorsement of a specific religion by a public entity.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is leading the charge against the decals, noting the endorsement of a specific religion is prohibited by law for government bodies.

“Statements about a god have no place on government-owned cars. Public officials should not use their government position and government property to promote their religious views.”

However, Bay News 9 points out that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled many references to God by the government as legal as they are “part of our country’s history and heritage.” Jeremy Dys, senior counsel with the Liberty Institute, says he believes the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts would allow the decals based on this history.

Despite the history of the Supreme Court upholding the use of the word God in historical text, such as the Pledge of Allegiance, the number of lawsuits and complaints regarding the use of the term God in government texts will likely continue to rise.

“I think we’re going to see a growing number of fights over these symbolic references to god by government.”

What do you think about the complaints lodged against the “In God We Trust” patrol car decals?

[Image Credit: Getty Images/ Archive]