By Police1 Staff
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A plaque displaying religious text inside the Knoxville Police Department is coming down after a religious freedom organization filed a complaint.
The Tennessee chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation called for the removal of the plaque that reads “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31,” WVLT reported.
A woman affiliated with the group saw the plaque when she went to give a statement about a shooting she witnessed. She told the group’s spokeswoman Aleta Ledendecker that she found it offensive. The group filed a complaint because they wanted all members of the community to feel “they were on equal standing with law enforcement.”
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The city said the plaque will be removed Friday. The city’s law director, Charles Swanson, said the government is not allowed to promote religion and cited free exercise and establishment clauses as the city’s reasons for removing the plaque.
“This has been fought,” Mayor Madeline Rogero said. “But if we thought we had a leg to stand on, we would.”
Police Chief David Rausch said it was a “tough and emotional decision,” but it was the right thing to do.
“This is a constitutional issue,” Rausch said. “Law enforcement are the number one upholders of the constitution.”
He said the police department is planning to create a new space for employees with a focus on all faiths instead of one.