By Police1 Staff
TULSA, Okla. — Police in Tulsa have been told they cannot participate in the Salvation Army’s holiday donation drive while in uniform.
Tulsa Salvation Army Capt. Ken Chapman was told officers would no longer participate in the organization’s holiday donation drive after the Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened to sue Police Chief Chuck Jordan and the city of Tulsa over the PD’s involvement, according to Tulsa World. The letter stated that as a government entity, the PD cannot endorse a religious charity like the Salvation Army, which is Christian-based.
The letter came after the Tulsa PD posted a picture of Jordan and another officer ringing bells for the Salvation Army on Dec. 22, 2017. The letter, dated Jan. 16, said that the department’s Twitter post of the officers ringing the bells for the charity “violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by favoring a specific religion over another.”
https://twitter.com/TulsaPolice/status/944299828925861889
The Freedom From Religion Foundation states that its purpose is to protect “the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.” Attorney Chris Line, who represents the group, said that the Salvation Army is not just a charity, but also “a church denomination with an evangelistic mission.”
The letter also states that using the PD’s social media page to promote a Christian charity “suggests that Christianity is the preferred religion of the Tulsa Police Department.”
Line also said he wouldn’t characterize the letter as a threat of legal action.
“We wrote a letter informing the department that as a government entity it cannot endorse a religious charity like this,” Line said.
Chapman said officers have been ringing bells for the charity for decades and that they often compete with firefighters to see who can raise the most money. Chapman said the competition raised more than $5,000 last year.
5a74b4f756942.pdf by Ed Praetorian on Scribd