Fallen Officer Monument Restored and Returned, but Without the Bible Verse
A monument honoring fallen police officers with the word "Lord" on it and a Bible verse is going back up, but it'll look a bit different.
The monument was taken down after a resident in Tega Cay, SC, protested because it included religious wording and references.
City officials tried to address the complaints by painting over the word "Lord" and removing the Bible verse – – from the front of the monument.
"Removal of the religious references were more about trying to find a compromise between the two sides. We tried to find a common ground to stand on, but the intention was never to offend anyone," City Manager Charlie Funderburk told CBN News last week.
But the city council decided the monument will be now restored with the entire Police Officer's Prayer inscribed on it and returned to its location at the new police station.
Funderburk tells CBN News that will not be restored on the monument due to legal reasons.
The city thanked everyone for their feedback on this sensitive subject:
"After careful consideration and much conversation with people on both sides of the discussion, City Council has made the decision that the Police Officer's Prayer will be restored to its original condition and returned to the Fallen Officers' Memorial located at the new police station. We want to thank everyone for voicing your opinion, as it's not always easy to do so on such a sensitive subject."
The local police department showed their appreciation toward the city council and the community for the support in restoring the monument.
The Tega Cay Police Department and Chief of Police are very thankful to our community, council, mayor and management for all their support. We are happy that the monument is able to go back in the Fallen Officer Memorial with the entire Police Officer's Prayer inscribed on it.
— Tega Cay Police (@TegaCayPD) July 26, 2019
The restored monument was returned to the police station on July 27.
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