A Kentucky police officer has returned to work after the Louisville Metro Police Department said it will not discipline him for praying in front of an abortion clinic.
The incident happened on February 20, 2021, when before dawn the off-duty officer prayed the rosary alone with his father for less than an hour in front of the EMW Women’s Surgical Center.
When the 13-year veteran joined patrol duty later he was asked to return to his division’s office, where he was placed on administrative leave with pay.
The cop was not allowed to make any arrests, work any cases, or work overtime hours during the time he was suspended.
He also lost a great deal of income, which he uses to support his wife and their four young children.
Attorneys representing the police officer said their client “prayed alone with his father for less than an hour.”
Lawyer Matt Heffron said, “It is astounding to those of us defending him — shocking, actually — that the police department would treat a hardworking, loyal officer this way. They left him twisting in the wind for four months because of off-duty prayer.”
LMPD sent the cop notes, explaining how his actions violated the department’s standard operating procedures as well as state regulations.
“None of the officer’s off-duty prayer was covered by the LMPD allegations, and any formal punishment, under these circumstances, would violate his First Amendment rights,” added Heffron. The officer’s lawyers have been pushing LMPD since March to act swiftly in reinstating their client.
Attorneys with the Thomas More Society submitted an open-records request to the department to confirm if LMPD extended any disciplinary actions against off-duty, uniformed officers who took part in Black Lives Matter protests or in LGBT Pride rallies.
