Brian Hamilton, an Indiana State Police Trooper, was fired from his position earlier this week for attempting to convert motorists to Christianity when he had them pulled over for traffic violations. The termination of the Senior State Trooper came after a two month investigation of the allegations of his proselytizing.
The trooper had been warned in the past about his behavior, he had even been sued once before for preaching to someone he had pulled over. Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit against Hamilton on the behalf of a woman he had pulled over back in January of this year.
During their encounter he asked the female motorist if she had “been saved”. He went on to tell her about his church and even give her directions to it. The woman claimed that the conversation had made her extremely uncomfortable. She is requesting that her case go to trial. She is seeking punitive damages as well as her attorney fees.
A woman that Hamilton pulled over in 2014 recanted a similar encounter with the State Trooper. She said that she had no religious affiliation but was afraid to say that to a person in such authority. Instead, she lied and said that she had a church because he was standing at her window. After this lawsuit, Hamilton was warned by his department not to provide religious pamphlets to motorists or question them about their religious beliefs while on duty.