Church Can Start Its Own Police Force, Alabama Senate Says

[icymist]

April 12, 20172:54 PM ET
BILL CHAPPELL

A large church in Alabama is one step closer to creating its own police force, a move that seems to be without precedent in the U.S. The state's Senate has approved legislation that would give church police officers the same powers other law enforcement officers have in Alabama.

After being approved by Alabama's Senate on a 24-4 vote, the bill now heads to the state House of Representatives, where an identical bill was sent to the Public Safety and Homeland Security committee in February.

Both chambers' legislation specifically names Briarwood Presbyterian Church, a Birmingham megachurch that "says it needs its own police officers to keep its school as well as its more than 4,000 person congregation safe," Alabama Public Radio reports.

Police officers hired by Briarwood Presbyterian would need to be certified by a state standards and training commission, according to the bill, SB193. The officers' authority would be restricted to the church's campuses and properties.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/12/523603112/alabama-senate-says-church-can-start-its-own-police-force

[grantcart]

1. Well that is the main lesson of Good Friday

If only Jesus had his own police force everything else could have been prevented!

[dalton99a]

5. "Verily, I say unto thee, there is nothing a 9mm can't fix"

[FiveGoodMen]

7. According to Christian theology...

...if Jesus had had his own police force, then no one would ever have been saved from hell.

[grantcart]

14. If they had a police force it would have given them time to build up resources so that when th

evolution brought the X men we could have fought our way to the gates of hell.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Then can The Church Police be arrested and sued under Section 1983 for any civil rights violations

they have caused, just like "real" police officers?

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1983

Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer’s judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. For the purposes of this section, any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia.

[dalton99a]

3. Watch out, sinners and heathens

and colored people

[TheBlackAdder]

4. A variation of the 70s TV series "Mod Squad," except filled with Christian Mob Enforcers (God Squad)

[Lee-Lee]

6. In NC these are "company police"

I have not seen a church do it, but I have seen schools and even a shopping mall do it.

[WinkyDink]

8. Churches, however, are exempt from secular taxes. Time to TAX THEM!

[frogmarch]

9. Pooh, everyone knows

they only want to burst into people's homes and shout, "No one expects the Alabama Inquisition!"

[NightWatcher]

10. Put some deacons in orange vests to control parking and traffic. That's all you need.

[krispos42]

11. And exactly what laws would they enforce?

Hmmmm....

[rockfordfile]

12. Corruption in Alabama keeps on chugging

[struggle4progress]

13. ACLU asks for records on plan

By Greg Garrison
on April 14, 2017 at 4:37 PM
updated April 14, 2017 at 5:46 PM

... "The plan to create a church-operated police force and imbue it with all the powers of the State is unconstitutional," said Randall Marshall, Legal Director of the ACLU of Alabama. "The First Amendment prohibits the government from delegating police powers to a church. If the legislature and governor pursue this unwise course of action, a legal challenge is inevitable" ...

... public records requests were sent to the Alabama Peace Officers Standards & Training Commission, which is responsible for certifying law enforcement officers, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The requests ask the agencies to provide all relevant records within 30 days.

"What does the church want its police officer to do if there's illegal drug use going on in the high school: arrest the kid, or step in, counsel him and put an end to drug use," Marshall said. "It opens the door for the church to be determining who should be prosecuted, who should be let go, all with an eye toward adverse publicity for the church" ...

"They've singled out one church and are giving them powers they're not giving across the board," Marshall said. "There's no doubt if this passes, there's a legal challenge to be had. It's highly unlikely it could survive a constitutional challenge."

http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2017/04/aclu_asks_for_records_on_plan.html

[workinclasszero]

15. Religious police coming to America soon

An Islamic law official whips a man convicted of gambling with a rattan cane inside a mosque compound [AP]

They will smite the evil doers (democrats) severely! They will call themselves 'Christian" though.