Mounds police chief says he will stop posting religious messages on department's Facebook page

The Mounds chief of police said Thursday he will stop posting to his agency's Facebook page after receiving criticism for Christian messages he wrote on the site.

Instead, future posts will be made on a Facebook page called Mounds Pastoring Devotionals, Chief Antonio Porter announced on the Mounds Police Department's official page late Thursday afternoon.

The police department came under fire this week after the American Civil Liberties Union alleged the Facebook posts violated the First Amendment because they promoted the Christian faith without discussing the merits of other religions.

ACLU of Oklahoma legal director Brady Henderson said in a news release Wednesday that the posts were in violation of provisions in the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions against government officials establishing a state religion. The nonprofit organization sent a letter to the city's mayor stating further posts could result in a lawsuit.

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