Sharia Alabama style?

[Haruo]

Sounds pretty scary to me, especially in a country where all religions are, constitutionally, created equal.

[William Thornton]

Yeah. This is crazy.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

[Stephen Fox]

Briarwood is part of what is truly a deplorable base of fundamentalism in Alabama. It is networked to Crawford Broadcasting, Rick Burgess riknbubba radio, Baptist church of the Highlands and its 14 campuses and Gadsden campus where my state senator is a member, of which my state senator Phil Simms of the gerrymandered st senate district that would make Texas wince .
Also FBC Gardendale and Cliff Simms now in the Trump White House of Yellowhammer News is there. So Sharia Bama style has its supporters.

Time for Molly Worthen and Randall Balmer to come to Samford and let the light shine. I hope to ask Tommy Tubberville a few town hall questions as he is running for Governor now sooner than expected, or is that the senate seat.

Whatever, everybody is runnin now in Bama but this weekend, it's the Collinsville Lady Panthers hosting the county tourney as number 4 against number Five Fyffe and Number One Plainview, all state rankings.

[Mrs Haruo]

I used to work in private security and know the damage a poorly trained wannabe cop who should NOT be packing a piece can do. If I saw private security around a church that were armed I would get right back in my car and not come back. Yes, I know all about the Bible Study class that was shot up a few years back by a crazy white kid, but I still don't mix worship with firearms. One of my weird personal beliefs and I am sticking by it.

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

Like my wife, I would see armed guards at my church as sufficient grounds to switch churches. But I don't see that this is just "private security" hired by the church. If so, I don't think it would need the state supreme court's permission to proceed.

[KeithE]

[Dave Roberts]

Actually, I have no idea what is in Alabama law, but in many states police powers come only after training through law enforcement academies, an internship assigned to a veteran training officer, and a thorough study of the law you will be enforcing, at least enough to recognize what sections may be relevant to making an arrest. It also involves firearms training, the use of non-lethal force, and the public dimensions of being a police presence. Alabama may not require this, but I bet that Birmingham and Hoover have strict standards on those who wear a badge. If the church is willing to put each of their recruits through psychological evaluations and up to six or more months of paid full-time training, then this might make sense. Without it, this is an invitation to the George Zimmerman's of the world.

[William Thornton]

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

I will say, regardless of the merits of the cases, that it's refreshing (or dizzying, perhaps) to see William on this side of this one ("I'm with the ACLU"), and Jim (in another thread) coming out anti-Oreilly/Fox.

[Joseph Patrick]

[Sandy]

I just have a hard time figuring out why a church needs its own police force. To arrest women with too much cleavage showing, or who wear pants to church? To keep dissenters off the property? To make sure only visitors park in the visitor spaces near the building?

[Jim]

This is not a First Amendment issue. The church/school, like any other private entity, is entitled to structure and finance its own security system and personnel but, also like any other non-government entity, should have no powers of arrest or other disposition related to a crime other than attempting to detain a miscreant and await law enforcement operatives, even to shoot one if he represented physical harm to another. Private security personnel should be required to have, if not the same certification of law enforcement officers, appropriate training and vetting, at least (no criminal record, for instance).

[Dave Roberts]

There are many private police departments in universities, hospitals, and in other facilities. States regulate the requirements for these and provide legal co-jurisdictional operations with local police. In Virginia, the co-jurisdictional arenas usually are either a 1/2-mile or a 1-mile circle around the facility. There are so many issues here for the church to have its own law enforcement agency. Also, in co-jurisdictional situations, regular law enforcement does not end at the property lines, because local LEO's still have authority on the property, even if it has its own law enforcement agency.

Having served in churches that have security plans, those plans work best when they are not visible to the public. Securing doors to preschool and children's buildings during worship is a necessity. Also, if there is a need for law enforcement, a designated person to do the calling is an advantage. In addition, I have been where the premises have been monitored from a central video console that even had a hidden camera among the organ pipes to allow for an awareness of any disturbance in the sanctuary. In addition, admission only by remotely operated doors under surveillance is an important part of security for most locations during office hours and other weekday operations.

[Haruo]

I was just thinking of what would happen when one of the larger mosques in Birmingham got its own police force.

[Dave Roberts]

[KeithE]