26 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2017 I f you’re going to pro- test, at least do it peace- fully. That’s a good rule for cops and civilians alike. One of the more popular trends in some parts of the country is painting cruis- ers or putting stickers on them with Bible verses and slogans like, “In God we trust.” This is of course unconsti- tutional as the First Amend- ment clearly says that the government, in this case city and county governments, shall not establish or favor one religion over the other. But it’s a largely harmless form of police protest if you discount the cost of putting the stickers on and defend- ing the inevitable lawsuits that result before the stickers or paint jobs come off. According to a report from WSLS News, the stickers that were on Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (VA) vehicles containing a Bible verse have been removed, according to Sheriff C.H. Partin. The stickers reference a portion of a verse from the book of Matthew, “Blessed are the peacemakers . . . Matthew 5:9” and lasted only a couple months. “After receiving inqui- ries and a request from our Board of Supervisors to remove the decals I made the decision to immediately remove them,” Sheriff Partin said. Below is Partin’s full state- ment about the decals: “We initially began placing the decals on our vehicles in March of this year. The decals were donated to our office. Our intent was, and still is, to honor our fellow brothers and sisters in law enforce- ment. We planned to leave the decals on our vehicles until the end of National Police Week. After receiving inquiries and a request from our Board of Supervisors to remove the decals I made the decision to immediately remove them. In the midst of National Po- lice Week, we want to focus on those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities. “The last thing that I want is for this to become a distrac- tion to the men and women who serve their communities selflessly every day.” Interestingly, there are no clear legal issues with another very popular police vehicle decoration featur- ing the Marvel comic book character “The Punisher.” Those stickers do, how- ever, create another set of is- sues that could create public relations problems for police professionals. Round and around Do you have at least half your teeth? Do have decent vision in your “good” eye? Can you tell the difference between a goat and a truck? Well, maybe a career in law enforcement is right for you! To be fair, the new require- ments for being a Kentucky State trooper aren’t quite that loose. But for those that think high standards equal good performance, the new re- quirements, or lack thereof, are slightly troubling. Kentucky, like many coun- ties, cities and states, just can’t seem to find enough qualified candidates that want to earn a whopping $38,000 annually doing one of the hardest jobs there is. One of the new require- ments? You have a high school diploma or GED and at one point held down a job for three years. Actually that part’s a little murky. It just says you need “three years of work experi- ence.” The new hiring qualifica- tions established by the state legislature are a departure from past standards. Applicants in the past needed at least 60 hours of college credit, two years of active duty military experi- ence, or two years of certified police officer experience. “All applicants still have to go through a rigorous hiring process that includes a written test, physical test, oral interview, polygraph exam, a very thorough background investigation, medical exam, and psy- chological exam,” Sgt. Brad Arterburn, commander of the Kentucky State Police Recruitment Branch, told WKYT News. Sgt. Arterburn also says all recruits still have to get through the 24-week Police Academy, which he saays is one of the toughest law en- forcement training programs in the country. In many cases, shortly after these stickers go on, people complain and they come off. Standards for hiring drop in face of a recruitment crisis Lowering standards is almost always a recipe for disaster