Written by Don Byrd
A complaint filed in January against Indiana state trooper Brian Hamilton for proselytizing during a traffic stop was apparently the last straw. Hamilton has been sued twice by women claiming he asked them about their faith and invited them to church during stops. Despite admonitions from the department to cease that kind of interaction, Hamilton finds himself again facing a complaint. This time, his employment has been terminated.
The Indianapolis Star reports:
“While all of us — citizen and police officer — enjoy the right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech, there are appropriate and proper restrictions placed on agents of the State related to their actions while engaged in their official duties,” State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said in a statement. “While I respect Mr. Hamilton’s religious views I am also charged to respect every citizen’s rights, and the best way forward for the citizens of Indiana, and for Mr. Hamilton, was to end his employment as a State Police officer.”
Superintendent Carter is right. We expect police officers to interact with everyone equally, and certainly without regard to our religion. While officers have personal religious beliefs, they should refrain from promoting those religious views while carrying out their official job duties.
In their official capacity, state troopers act on behalf of all of us. It is entirely inappropriate for an officer to give the impression that the police force represents a particular church or religious perspective, and even more troubling for them to place an individual in the position of having to account for their religious beliefs as during a traffic stop.
What was he thinking?
