BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) – A dispute over whether police in Beaumont, Texas, can hold a voluntary Bible study in a department building has been resolved, with city officials deciding the study can continue.
The Beaumont Enterprise reports that the city previously had told officers to stop the Bible studies they’ve held once or twice a month at the police station for the last two years. City Manager Kyle Hayes had said “city buildings are for public purposes and to conduct city business,” so “city policy prohibits all non-business activities.”
But on Saturday, Hayes called it a misunderstanding and said the city will allow the officers to hold their Bible study in the police department’s conference room.
Briscoe Cain, an attorney representing the four officers who lead the Bible study, said police officers don’t lose their constitutional right to freedom of religion “when they enter the workplace.”
