The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating whether a state trooper in Dallas displayed an anti-government extremist decal on a state car.
A photograph of a Three Percenters decal on a trooper’s rear window circulated online this week after it was posted on Reddit. A social media user said they snapped the photograph near Royal Lane and the Dallas North Tollway.
“I was surprised to see any police officer with a sticker showing affiliation to any group, but especially a group that countries have classified as extremists and terrorists,” the Reddit user wrote.
In an email Wednesday to The Dallas Morning News, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed the agency is investigating the matter.
“The photo you reference has been brought to the department’s attention, and DPS’ Office of the Inspector General has now opened an investigation,” spokesperson Sheridan Nolen wrote. “Because this is an active investigation, no further details are currently available.”
The Reddit user did not respond to messages Wednesday from The Dallas Morning News. The News was not able to verify the Reddit user’s story.
Three Percenters refers to a far-right anti-government, pro-militia movement based on the myth that only 3% of American colonists fought in the Revolutionary War against the British. Authorities say it’s not a single group but more of a common belief that a small yet determined force of armed citizens can overthrow a government. Many independent militias incorporate it into their names.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist groups, Three Percenters sometimes signal their affiliation by holding up three fingers in the OK sign. They also display tattoos, clothing and stickers with a Three Percent symbol.
Members of the movement were convicted of plotting to kidnap and hold hostage Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. They reportedly concocted the plan because of opposition to public health measures Whitmer imposed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and hoped to push the country toward civil war ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Several of its members, including at least one from North Texas, were convicted for their role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021.