In early August, Ellen Bogan passed a vehicle on an Indiana road. State Trooper Brian Hamilton pulled her over. Then, as David Moye of Huffington Post reports, things got interesting.
Bogan says Hamilton kept the police car lights flashing during the traffic stop, but after the officer handed over the warning ticket [for making an illegal pass], he asked her if she had a home church and if she accepted Jesus Christ as her savior.
He also handed her a religious pamphlet that asked readers to acknowledge they are sinners.
The pamphlet advertised a radio program called “Policing for Jesus Ministries” hosted by “Trooper Dan Jones.”
Are you familiar with other incidents in which agents of the local, state or federal government used opportunities or resources provided by their office to proselytize? Do you agree with the leader of the Indiana branch of the American Family Association that, “while a traffic stop might not have been the best time to quiz someone about faith, it doesn’t mean the officer should lose his right to free speech”?