Church-State Separation Groups Tell Virginia Sheriff to Remove Religious Decals on Vehicles
A sheriff in Virginia was ordered to remove religious decals from the county office's vehicles following complaints from church-state separatist groups.
Upon receipt of the order from authorities, Sheriff Hank Partin of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office immediately complied and removed the decals from the county office's vehicles, according to The Roanoke Times.
Church-state separatist groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) criticized the stickers and called their placement on the county's official vehicles a violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
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An attorney from the FFRF group, Sam Grover, said, "A Bible verse... is a sectarian and exclusively religious statement. Under the Establishment Clause, the sheriff's office, as a government entity, must remain neutral."
Grover added that as a representative of the government, the office "cannot promote one religion over another, or religion over non-religion."
The decals quote a verse from the Book of Matthew, which read, "Blessed are the peacemakers" and was a gift to the sheriff's office in March, Christian News reported.
"It's a biblical phrase... it's directly on a sheriff's vehicle," said Leslie Mehta, Legal Director of the ACLU Virginia branch. "So someone being stopped by a sheriff's deputy may feel one way of the other, that you're by my side because I'm a Christian or you're not on my side."
Mehta remarked that whichever case it may be, it poses a challenge on the First Amendment.
The Board of Supervisors talked to County Attorney Marty McMahon and they decided to ask Sheriff Partin to remove the stickers to avoid conflict.
The sheriff immediately took the board's advice and removed the stickers.
"In the midst of the National Police Week, we want to focus on those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities," said Partin. "The last thing that I want is for this to become a distraction to the men and women who serve their communities selflessly every day."
