Members of the Haven, Kan., City Council have been embroiled in a dispute over “In God We Trust” decals on police cars.
Last month, the five-member council voted unanimously to tell Police Chief Stephen Schaffer to stop posting scripture on the department’s Facebook page and remove “In God We Trust” stickers from the town’s squad cars.
The Salina Post reported that Sandra Williams, a member of the council, told Schaffer that it’s not the department’s job to invoke religion.
But a few weeks later, the council voted 3-2 to reverse the vote after residents in the town of about 1,170 packed a council meeting and complained about the stickers being removed. Mayor Adam Wright said his office received more than 100 complaints about the removal of the decals and only two in support, and he said those came from outside the community.
The council’s new policy states that “similar speech from any other religion (or lack thereof) can also be added to police vehicles.” The Satanic Temple has already submitted a decal reading “Hail, Satan!” and Americans Atheists has proposed a sticker that reads, “E Pluribus Unum,” America’s early (if unofficial) national motto.