The debate is over whether a cross can be placed at the site where a law enforcement officer was killed in the line of duty.
Utah's highest appeals court has ruled the crosses unconstitutional and ordered them removed from Utah's highways.
But one group here in Virginia, with many of its members in law-enforcement, has said, if they can't go up in Utah, they'll go up here in Virginia.
"There's an old song that says: 'you gotta stand for something or you'll fall for anything.' So, we are standing for something," said Mike Turnmyre.
Working in the rain, Mike Turnmyre builds crosses for 14 highway patrolmen he never knew.
"I'm just in awe. When I look down in there and I think about the people who have sacrificed their life for us, I just stand in awe" said Turnmyre.
Crosses for the 14 Utah highway patrolman killed in the line of duty now sit along a highway in Pulaski. Nearby, crosses stand for the 55 Virginia state troopers killed on the job and for the two Buchanan Co. sheriff's deputies killed last month.
"Were just kind of drawing a line in the sand," said Turnmyre. "Put those 14 crosses back up and not only that, put a couple hundred more up there!"
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Utah crosses unconstitutional, citing separation of church and state for the memorials of state employees on state property.
"We're always amazed at how two simple pieces of wood placed together can be so offensive to so many," said River of Life Church Pastor and 22-year veteran of the Virginia State Police, Mike Honaker.
But for the River of Life Church, with its law enforcement congregation, the Utah ruling is a fight they are willing to take up.
"If we continue to remain silent, if we continue to allow the courts to take our faith from us, and every symbol of our faith, then we are going to look around and America is going to be very different," said Honaker.
State Police in Virginia do not put up crosses for its fallen officers.
It is possible the Utah case will go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Several groups, including Liberty Council, in Lynchburg, are pushing for the U. S. Supreme Court to weigh in.
The church is also putting up crosses for others, besides law enforcement officers. For $10, the church will build a cross in honor of your loved one. The proceeds go to church mission projects.
