The sheriff's departments in both Cole and Callaway counties will keep the "In God We Trust" signs on their vehicles despite a request to remove them.
"It's no different than having the flag on our vehicles," Cole County Chief Deputy Capt. John Wheeler said. "It's our national motto. It's on our money. It's been challenged and the Supreme Court has said since it is the national motto, it can't be removed."
A resident had talked to Sheriff Greg White in July, prior to the sheriff's department putting the signs on in August.
The department used funds raised at the annual sheriff's barbecue to pay for the work.
The County Commission backed the idea and approximately 30 vehicles had the logo put on them.
Callaway County Sheriff Dennis Crane does not plan on removing the decals from Sheriff Department vehicles despite protest from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Attorney Dee Wampler in Springfield sent a letter congratulating Crane on the decision to use the decals, and Crane said he has yet to receive any negative comments from citizens in Callaway.
"I won't remove the decal because there's no legal reason I have to," Crane said. "Everyone has a right to their beliefs. In this day and age people have different religions and believe in different things. They think I'm forcing religious beliefs but I'm not telling them what to believe or not believe - that's an individual choice. This is just a statement and it's the nation's motto."
Watchdog asks sheriffs to remove 'In God We Trust' decals
By The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - A group dedicated to upholding the separation of church and state is asking sheriffs in Missouri to remove "In God We Trust" decals from their squad vehicles.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation argues that the motto is "exclusionary" of atheistic and agnostic citizens. Co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor of the Wisconsin-based organization has suggested that sheriffs could replace it with a different decal, "In Reason We Trust."
Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott, who has defended his decision to put the message on the county's squad cars last year, told the Springfield News-Leader (http://sgfnow.co/1KBa2w9) that he doesn't plan to remove or replace the decals anytime soon.
"Here's how I feel about it. It's our nation's motto. And that's the bottom line. And it's on all of our currency. It's probably in 75 percent of the courthouses in the United States. It's on our county seal," he said.
Gaylor said her association also disagrees with the use of "In God We Trust" as a national motto.
"It doesn't belong in a secular republic like the United States of America, which is predicated on an entirely godless, secular constitution," she said.
The Missouri Sheriff's Association voted unanimously last month to place the decal on squad vehicles throughout the state, at the discretion of the individual departments.
Similar religious decals first started showing up on law enforcement vehicles in southern states, but Missouri in particular is "the most egregious case" because the "In God We Trust" motto has spread across the entire state, Gaylor said, who calls it "a new and bad trend that is hitting the law enforcement world."
"I'm just saying there is an injury to non-religious citizens by official government action that ties religion to the police or that ties piety to good citizenship," Gaylor said. "From a personal point of view it sends a chilling message to non-believers."
Arnott said residents can count on the Greene County Sherriff's Office to treat them fairly regardless of their beliefs.
"We treat everybody equal," he said. "And it doesn't matter race, religion, sex, we're going to do our job. That (a citizen's religious beliefs) doesn't even factor into any decision I would make or that the deputies would make."
Gaylor said her association could decide to file a lawsuit to force sheriff's departments to remove the decals.