Others weren’t so happy. One man wrote: “Horrible... I guess police only care about Christians.”

Another posted: “This is a profane affront to our constitution (sic) and way of law.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a Madison, Wisconsin-based organization that aims to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, according to its website. Madeline Viegler, a legal fellow with the foundation, said in a phone call Friday that the department’s move is exclusionary.

“We believe that putting “In God We Trust” as the message is exclusive to atheists, agnostics and anyone else who doesn't believe in one god and it’s unfortunate and disrespectful that that's the message they want to send to nonbelievers in their community,” Viegler said.

The phrase “In God We Trust” was first used on U.S. currency due to increased religious sentiment during the Civil War, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Then, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved it to replace “E Pluribus Unum,” Latin for “Out of many, one” as the official U.S. motto in July 1956.

Viegler pointed to the original motto as a nonreligious alternative, one that the founding fathers approved.