Alabama Church May be Allowed to Start Its Own Police Force

The Alabama Senate voted 24 to 4 on Tuesday to allow the Briarwood Presbyterian Church, a megachurch located in suburban Birmingham, to break with precedent and establish its own police force.

Now the issue is expected to be debated in the House in the coming weeks, a state official confirmed Wednesday.

Help wanted notices have not yet been posted on the church's web site. "We are waiting for the legislative approval before taking the next steps," church administrator Matt Moore said in an email to NBC News .

In an earlier  press release , Moore wrote that any "personnel employed by the church will meet all requirements and be certified by the Alabama Peace Officer Training Commission."