Police Around the Nation Emblazoning 'In God We Trust' on Squad Cars

Law enforcement agencies in the South and Midwest are adding "In God We Trust" to their vehicles, drawing attacks from watchdog groups who argue that the move violates the separation of church and state.

"If it's on my money and it's on the state flag, I can put it on a patrol car," Polk County (Ga.) Sheriff Johnny Moats told The New York Times. He wrote other sheriffs across the state urging them to put the motto on their vehicles.

"Just about every single day, I have another sheriff calling and saying, 'I've done it' or 'Can you send me a picture of your patrol car?'" Moats said.

Some officials say that displaying the motto expressed patriotism, while others contend that it seeks to counter the attacks law enforcement has taken in the wake of several high-profile shootings in recent months.

"With the dark cloud that law enforcement has been under recently, I think that we need to have a human persona on law enforcement," Sheriff Brian Duke of Henderson County, Tenn., told the Times. "It gave us an opportunity to put something on our cars that said: 'We are you. We’re not the big, bad police.'"

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