Crestview police cars now feature ‘In God We Trust’

Crestview Police Chief Tony Taylor says placement of the national motto, “In God We Trust,” on the department’s fleet is a reminder of the faith many officers carry with them while patrolling. [BRIAN HUGHES | Crestview Police Department]

CRESTVIEW — Police officers rely on the support of each other as well as professionals at police headquarters to back them up in intense situations.

In addition to this local support, many officers draw on faith.

With a contribution from an anonymous donor, the national motto now appears on Crestview Police Department patrol vehicles.

“This is a reminder to the folks in the community that we in the Chaplaincy Department of the Crestview Police Department pray for our officers to keep them safe, and is a reminder that we can definitely trust in God,” the Rev. Mark Broadhead, senior police chaplain, said.

“Our prayers, and prayers from our loved ones and supporters, that’s how we walk away from a bad situation,” Police Chief Tony Taylor said. “That’s how we go home every night.”

Officer Colin Savoie helped Broadhead determine positioning of the decals, which include the police chaplains’ badge, on patrol cars’ upper rear windows. There it doesn’t obstruct an officer’s rear vision, but when he or she glances in the rearview mirror, the motto is legible and provides a source of comfort, he said.

Savoie, a U.S. Army veteran who wears several tattoos proclaiming his faith, said he likes the added touch the national motto brings to his patrol vehicle.

“I have my beliefs on my arms so I might as well have it on my car, too,” he said.

“Part of my job is making sure our officers get home safely to their families after every patrol,” Taylor said. “And yes, that includes keeping them in my prayers.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview police cars now feature ‘In God We Trust’