Not all say ‘amen’ to (NEBR) State Patrol effort that would put on-duty troopers in church pews

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/not-all-say-amen-to-state-patrol-effort-that-would/article_6247d7c3-a90e-5ca7-81d7-a449497738dc.html

POSTED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 12:30 AM
By Joe Duggan / World-Herald Bureau

LINCOLN — The goals of the plan sounded simple enough: Build public trust in the Nebraska State Patrol and bolster the agency’s image by getting troopers out into the community more often.

Col. Brad Rice wanted his roughly 385 officers to occasionally put down their ticket pads and put in appearances at the Friday night football game, the Saturday county fair and the Sunday church service.

The initiative by the newly appointed patrol superintendent drew mixed reviews within the agency. In emails obtained by The World-Herald, some ranking officers expressed no opinion about the proposal, while others firmly objected to allowing uniformed troopers to participate in church services.

In a recent interview, Rice said it was never his intention to allow on-duty troopers to attend weekly religious services with their families. Rather, he said, houses of worship are just one of several places he’d like to see troopers go to interact with the public.

FULL story at link.