We Need Sunday Cops

I read a news story of how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking its congregational units to prioritize and consider measures to ensure safety.

One idea would be to have what we could call "Sunday Cops," officers from the police or sheriff's department who are assigned to attend the meetings undercover, dressed in suits but carrying. It is true that if you drew from the existing police staffs for such Sunday service, those police units would quickly be depleted. There are so many church meetings in the Salt Lake Valley, you would be taking too many away from other safety concerns.

So run people through the police academy to take Sunday-only jobs. Don't assign the officers to the same ward every week but rotate them so the criminals do not know who the officer is. This would allow the church policy against members bringing guns to be maintained and keep the responsibility in the hands of trained professionals. Would-be killers would be aware someone was guarding the meetinghouse even though they would not know who. That would be the deterrent to the shootings that many conservatives are seeking.