Paul's Passing Thoughts

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Briarwood Presbyterian Church Police Department Bill Died for Lack of Action in the Legislature

Briarwood Presbyterian Church

From the above article:

A bill that would have allowed the megachurch to hire certified peace officers died when the Legislature adjourned Friday, the second year in a row the measure has died. It was passed by the Senate and House last year but was not signed by the governor. This year, it passed the Senate but did not come up for a vote in the House…

…But critics see the potential for abuse. Randall Marshall, acting executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama said, “Briarwood Presbyterian Church, as well as many other such institutions, already meet their security concerns through the use of private security, which does not implicate state power, or off-duty police officers who ultimately are answerable to their governmental employer for any abuse of the authority vested in them by the state…”

…Concerns over the legislation centered on the notion of a religious body with lethal force at its disposal. Moore maintains the church “would not use a police authority to enforce its views, nor would the proposed legislation authorize such…”