Abbott OK with cop car crosses

Governor: Christian symbol on vehicles isn’t church-state violation.

First, there was the fifight over some Texas police vehicles displaying “In God we trust,” a motto state Attorney General Ken Paxton approved in a legal opinion issued last November.

Now, with Paxton studying a related issue — whether Brewster County sheriff’s deputies can display foot-high window decals depicting a cross with a thin blue line — Gov. Greg Abbott weighed in Friday on behalf of the deputies.

The practice, Abbott said in a memo sent to Paxton’s office, doesn’t violate the First Amendment’s prohibition on government actions that improperly favor one religion.

“The Brewster Count y dep - uties’ crosses neither establish a religion nor threaten any person’s ability to worship God, or decline to worship God, in his own way,” Abbott said. “The symbol of the cross appropriately conveys the solemn respect all Texans should have for the courage and sacrifice of our peace officers.”

District Attorney Rod Ponton, whose West Texas district includes Brewster County, asked Paxton to approve the practice in a Dec. 21 request for an opinion, writing that he believed the “symbol of the cross is a symbol of protection and comfort” for officers.

Terri Burke, executive direc-

tor for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, criticized the practice for excluding “vast swaths of the population who do not share the same religious convictions.”

“Blurring the lines between church and state — particularly the enforcement arm of the state — sends the message that some groups are second-class citizens,” Burke said Friday.

“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,” Burke added.

Paxton, who frequently refers to his Christian faith and has made it a priority to protect religious practice, has until late June to issue his opinion, although his office took only four weeks to render a decision on the “In God we trust” decals.

KOSA-TV The attorney general has been asked to rule on whether crosses like this can be affixed to patrol cars in Brewster County.