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Americans United For Separation of Church and State Sacramento Chapter P. O Box 279591 The Sacramento Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State is pleased to hear that the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Sacramento (LECS) will no longer accept money from the City of Sacramento to fund its worthy work. We hope they will also refuse Sacramento County funding. The controversy caused by government funding has created a classic case of church and state entanglement. The City and County has been funding the LECS even though such funding is forbidden by the U. S. and California constitutions. The LECS, as a private religious organization, is entitled to set its own requirements for membership and no government entity can force it to do otherwise. Conversely, as a private religious organization, the LECS is not entitled to receive government funding. In the future, the LECS should be able to continue to do its work with private funds with chaplains who meet LECS requirements. The question which has been overlooked by most critics of the LECS, in the opinion of AU-Sacramento, has never been about diversity or discrimination but government funding of a religious organization. The Sacramento Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State wish the LECS well as a private organization. |