For over a year, a local church in Birmingham, Alabama has been asking for its own police force. Now, they have their wish.
On Tuesday, April 11th, in a vote of 24-4, lawmakers voted to allow Briarwood Presbyterian Church to form its own police force.
In March, the church claimed that it needs its own officers in order to protect their school and congregation, which holds over 4,000 members.
“After the shooting at Sandy Hook and in the wake of similar assaults at churches and schools, Briarwood recognized the need to provide qualified first responders to coordinate with local law enforcement,” says the church’s administrator Matt Moore.
Last year, the same bill was passed, but because it was never signed by a governor, so it was never put into action.
In the past, the state of Alabama has granted few private universities the authority to form their own police department, but never a religious or non-academic organization.
News of the passing of the bill has sparked heavy criticism nationwide. Some say that the use of a “God Squad” could ultimately be used to cover up crimes. Skepticism of the bill’s passing has also been voiced on popular social media sites like Twitter.
Unconstitutional stupidity which will result in costly litigation: Alabama may allow church to form own police force https://t.co/f2H6KpEVx7
— David Galiel ? (@davidgaliel) 24 mars 2017
This is not good. Any police force must be run by the state, not ANY church! If they need more cops then hire them.https://t.co/hlG7PEgVUo
— ?? OneVoice ?? (@OneVoiceUS) 11 april 2017
The ACLU, or American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, also has voiced against the Act, calling it unconstitutional and a violation of the First Amendment.
In addition to the passing of the bill (SB 193), a similar act, the Alabama Church Protection Act, is set to be debated next week. This act would not only allow churches to have armed security guards, but would also legally protect them if they shot anyone.
