An Alabama church wants to create its own police force, and state Rep. Arnold Mooney is pushing legislation to make it a reality.

The legislation, HB 180, states:

The Board of Trustees of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, organized as a nonprofit church under Alabama’s nonprofit corporation law, may appoint and employ one or more persons to act as police officers to protect the safety and integrity of the church and its ministries.

Persons employed as police officers pursuant to this section shall be charged with all the duties and invested with all of the powers of local law enforcement officers in the state.

HB 180 was referred to the committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in February and mirrors legislation introduced by Mooney last year that passed the Legislature but was not signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley, the Associated Press reports.

The Birmingham church boasts a congregation of more than 4,000 and currently utilizes off-duty officers from the area to provide security at its events. Briarwood operates two private schools serving a total of 2,000 students, as well as its own radio station, in addition to its expansive Worship Center near Interstate 459.

Mooney is a member of the church, all three of his children graduated from its schools, and his wife and daughter work at Briarwood Christian School, according to the AP.

“Officer presence is the No. 1 line of defense,” he wrote in an email to the news service.

HB 180 would allow the church to hire as many police officers as it wants, and would ensure they’re certified in the same protocols as officers employed by cities, counties or colleges and universities.

Lawmakers are expected to discuss the proposal before the current legislation ends in May, and if approved, the church police force would be the first of its kind in the nation.

“Every officer appointed and employed pursuant to this section shall be certified by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission and shall meet all of its requirements, including continuing education,” the legislation reads.

“The authority of any police officer appointed and employed pursuant to this section shall be restricted to the campuses and properties of Briarwood Presbyterian Church.”

Church administrator Matt Moore told the AP Briarwood would not operate a jail or dispatch center, but would coordinate with local police in the event of an arrest.

“The sole purpose of this proposed legislation is to provide a safe environment for the church, its members, students and guests,” he said.

Rep. Allen Treadaway, a Birmingham police captain and co-sponsor of HB 180, told the AP the move seems to make sense.

“They’re struggling to have enough security on that campus,” he said.

Briarwood parishioner Jeff Siren also pointed out that Alabama law allows people to carry guns into churches.

“You’ve got to have some presence here,” he said. “Anyone can wander in here unchallenged at any time.”

Democrats, meanwhile, are arguing against the legislation out of concerns that church police might cover up crimes, and questions about who would have ultimate authority over the police force.

“A church structure creates a hierarchy of who answers to whom,” Rep. Chris England, a Tuscaloosa Democrat, told the AP.

Others, like Kansas University law professor Richard Levy, believe HB 180 will likely spark a lawsuit, if approved.

“It’s making the church take the role of government,” he told the AP. “I would expect that if the law is enacted it would not be very long before it is challenged.”