🐱 Alabama senate votes to allow church to form own police force

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/11/alabama-church-police-force-senate-vote

The Alabama Senate has voted to allow a church to form its own police force.

Lawmakers on Tuesday voted 24-4 to allow Briarwood Presbyterian church in Birmingham to establish a law enforcement department.

The church says it needs its own police officers to keep its school as well as its more than 4,000 person congregation safe.

Critics of the bill argue that a police department that reports to church officials could be used to cover up crimes.

The state has given a few private universities the authority to have a police force, but never a church or non-school entity.

Police experts have said such a police department would be unprecedented in the US.

A similar bill is also scheduled to be debated in the House on Tuesday.

 

[IV 445]

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place."

John 18:36

 

[Pac]

I'm not an expert in American politics, but isn't that kind of illegal? You know, the whole separation of church and state that's written in the American Constitution? Like, isn't it out of the realm of possibilities for a state congress to pass a law that supersedes federal law (Aka the fucking constitution that rules the whole fucking country?). Also, this is really fucked.

 

[Staffy]

If this was a Deus Vult-esque police who'd remove kebabs then I'd like to see that.

 

[AngeloTheWizard]

I'm not an expert in American politics, but isn't that kind of illegal? You know, the whole separation of church and state that's written in the American Constitution? Like, isn't it out of the realm of possibilities for a state congress to pass a law that supersedes federal law (Aka the fucking constitution that rules the whole fucking country?). Also, this is really fucked.

Not quite. The seperation of church and state simply means that the state cannot tell you what religion you can practice. That said, i agree, this is a bad idea.

 

[BOLDYSPICY!]

That's Alabama for you. Or as @DT.Miller calls it, "the anus of America."

 

[Ravenor]

i agree, this is a bad idea.

Bad is underselling it just a tad... how about a terrifying precedent. Every society that has had law enforced with a religious bent has found out just how bad it ends, it's one step away from "citizen justice" that turns the rumour mill up to 11 that get's enforced by holier than though prodnoses and is often used to settle scores... there is no away this end's well.

That's Alabama for you. Or as @DT.Miller calls it, "the anus of America."

I'd normally say it's a rather nice anus my dear but rulings like this....

 

[AngeloTheWizard]

I just had a thought: it's Alabama and probably a majority white church. A: what are you protecting the church from and B: the people IN the church are probably better armed then the church's proposed police force!

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

The last time this happened, we had the inquisition.

 

[nonnewtonian]

Salem Witch Trials 2: Electric (Chair) Boogaloo

 

[dunbrine47]

So it's a fancy title for a private security force?

 

[Duke Nukem]

This is like something that they have in Saudi Arabia, not here. Yeah, I know it's a church and not a mosque, but still...

It might die in the Senate but that's frighteningly close. Separation of church and state my ass.

 

[Piss Clam]

What a bunch of hyperbole.

 

[ICametoLurk]

good

 

[Male Idiot]

Hey if it was muslims and sharia police the left would cheer for it. If kebab can get it, why can't everybody else?

 

[Lorento]

Hey if it was muslims and sharia police the left would cheer for it. If kebab can get it, why can't everybody else?

Because two retarded wrongs do not make a right. The solution to shariah militias should not be to give the Fundies their own militias, it should be to wipe out the shariah militias.

 

[neverendingmidi]

Because two exceptional wrongs do not make a right. The solution to shariah militias should not be to give the Fundies their own militias, it should be to wipe out the shariah militias.

Is this in the middle of a town, which should therefore already have a municipal police force, or is it this a campus type place in the middle of nowhere where the only police force is the county sheriff and two deputies for the entire county? If it's the first, it's fucking stupid. On the other hand, if it's the second I can understand it. Something grows big, yet isn't an incorporated municipality, you'd rather not wait 3 hours for Sheriff Bubba to come collect a drunk driver who crashed into a building.

 

[Male Idiot]

Because two exceptional wrongs do not make a right. The solution to shariah militias should not be to give the Fundies their own militias, it should be to wipe out the shariah militias.

Oh I agree, but that is not really possibly unless a hyper alt right new world order gets to reign. Right now, you can't touch the kebab.

 

[Ineedahero]

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were it'd have like, a castle, and a throne, and a moat and stuff, so that in 2000 years historians and archaeologists could be all oh yeah that jesus guy definitely existed, here's all his shit. But now my kingdom is from another place."

John 3:16

 

[Takayuki Yagami]

Is this in the middle of a town, which should therefore already have a municipal police force, or is it this a campus type place in the middle of nowhere where the only police force is the county sheriff and two deputies for the entire county? If it's the first, it's fucking stupid. On the other hand, if it's the second I can understand it. Something grows big, yet isn't an incorporated municipality, you'd rather not wait 3 hours for Sheriff Bubba to come collect a drunk driver who crashed into a building.

No idea. Birmingham is the 2nd biggest city in the state and these things never make clear if they're talking about a suburb. And ironically enough for @Male Idiot there's actually a Turkish Muslim community there that doesn't seem to cause problems (thank goodness in place that likes guns).