Metro Departments Change Policy Toward Religious Head Coverings

Metro Nashville is loosening some of its security policies toward religious head coverings. The American Civil Liberties Union pushed for the changes.

Women have been able to wear a headscarf in the Juvenile Justice Center but until now men had to remove any religious headwear while in the courthouse.

Court administrator Tim Adgent says the new policy shouldn’t compromise security because anyone can still be asked to remove head coverings during the screening process.

“If they go through a detector and there’s any indicator that there may be anything concerning a metal object or anything that’s of concern to our security staff, then they could be required to remove that to see if there’s any object beneath the head covering.”

Adgent points out security guards have never found a weapon in a head covering. They have caught a woman trying to sneak in a gun with a baby carriage.

Also starting Friday, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office will now keep two sets of mug shots for women who wear religious head coverings. One with the veil will be made public. One without will be kept confidential.

The ACLU of Tennessee raised the issue when a Muslim woman was forced to remove her hijab for a booking photo. That was March.

Davidson County Sheriff spokeswoman Karla Weikal says the office didn’t fight the ACLU, which said the old policy violated the First Amendment.

“I absolutely think it was the right thing to do because of the diversity of our community and the importance of being sensitive to these issues.”

The Sheriff’s Office will also now allow religious headwear in the courthouses it manages.

The ACLU says the old policies were violations of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.