By Margaret Kadifa
The Houston Chronicle
ROSENBERG, Texas — In the coming weeks, decals with the phrase “In God We Trust” will be placed on all of Rosenberg’s public safety vehicles.
Rosenberg police chaplain Bruce Gilbert donated the decals, breaking into tears at a May 17 City Council meeting as he said the stickers will remind the city’s police officers and firefighters of their faith while in life-threatening situations.
“These decals can serve as a testimony to our community that these men and women understand that their lives and their trust -- whenever they hop on the back of that truck, whenever they get in that police vehicle, whatever call they’re going to make -- they understand that their lives are in the hands of God,” he said.
Gilbert added that the decals will also demonstrate that Rosenberg citizens’ support law enforcement.
Gilbert’s donation is part of a wider conversation across Texas about whether “In God We Trust” has a place on cities’ public-safety vehicles.
Attorney General Ken Paxton released an official opinion in November that such decals are permissible by law.
His opinion came after the police department in Childress, located about 250 miles northwest of Dallas, put “In God We Trust” stickers on its police cars.
The decision sparked pushback from the Wisconsin-based watchdog organization, the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
“In God We Trust” has been the U.S. national motto since 1956.
Rosenberg’s council unanimously authorized the decals at a May 17 meeting.
The only hesitation came from At Large, Position 1 Councilor Bill Benton, who did ultimately vote for the decals.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do if you get other religions that want to do the same thing,” he said. “I guess we’ll have to cross that when we get to it.”
Mayor Cynthia McConathy, who is a licensed minister and a teacher at the First Assembly of God in Rosenberg, said that because of Paxton’s opinion, she had no qualms about voting in favor of the decals.
“Being a fellow minister, it is a no brainer for me,” she said. “My direction is obviously based on the foundation of God’s word, and so I am fully behind it.”
Terri Burke, executive director of the Houston-based American Civil Liberties Union of Texas spoke against the decals.
“The intrusion of government into religion like this excludes vast swaths of the population who do not share the same religious convictions,” Burke said. “Blurring the lines between church and state -- particularly the enforcement arm of the state -- sets a dangerous precedent that in effect treats some groups as second-class citizens. Officer morale is important, but law enforcement agencies across the country would do well to implement policies that focus on transparency, accountability and community trust.”
Rosenberg’s police officers have given him positive feedback, Gilbert said.
Gilbert said he will order a total of 150 decals, 75 for the police department and the fire department each, which he estimates will cost him about $600.
He hasn’t finalized the design for the decals, they will likely be slightly larger than the average bumper sticker, Gilbert said.
The decals will be in the bottom left corner of the back windows of the police cars. They will be on other law enforcement and emergency response vehicles, including fire trucks, as well, Gilbert said.
This isn’t the first time Rosenberg has blurred the lines between church and state.
In January, McConathy invited employees, council members and local pastors to join her in prayer for the coming year, through a message sent from her official city email account.
It was worth the risk of offending someone because it was how she expressed her Christian beliefs, McConathy later said.
Rosenberg is the second city in Fort Bend County to put decals on public safety vehicles.
Katy did in the fall.
Representatives for nearby Missouri City, Richmond and Sugar Land said their cities have not considered adding “In God We Trust” decals to public safety vehicles.
Though Gilbert is a pastor at New Hope Fellowship in Rosenberg, the decals did not result from a coordinated effort by the city’s churches, said Daniel Haas, the pastor of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Rosenberg and an army reserve chaplain.
“He knows what’s best to conduct religious support for his police officers,” Haas said. “And if he feels the stickers are best for that, let it be so.”
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(c)2016 the Houston Chronicle