FEEDBACK FROM THE FIELD
I have been so blessed by all of the Officers and Chaplains who have sent me e-mail and called me about the new Chaplains Corner. I have been so encouraged by the responses sent by new friends. Here are some e-mails I would like to share with you all from some of our Police1.com friends and members.
A.A. writes: “It is good to see that Police1 has begun this article area. We have a chaplain program at our department also. We currently have 12 Senior Chaplains who are either pastors or church staff members and 15 Associate Chaplains who are police officers and act as liaisons for the officers. Glad to see the column.”
R. K. writes: “Welcome to the Policeone.com family. I have been a regular reader for a long while and thought I was the only Chaplain involved. It’s good to meet you, by brief introductory article anyway. I’m a nearly 15-year chaplain with the City of Phoenix AZ PD, hold a badge with the City of Scottsdale PD and serve the Highway Patrol with my position as a Chaplain to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.”
S.B. writes:" “I am sure our faiths are different, but we have the best interests of the “troops” at heart. As I do Employee Assistance Program (EAP) work I, too, get good feed back. I feel sorry for the chaplains who do not. As you said, the troops are very “close to the vest,” as we say, and outsiders (even the best meaning ones) have a problem being “outsiders”. I am not sure if you have access to the EAP program, not all agencies do. I highly recommend it for your officers in need of help. It worked wonders for me (two divorces, etc.) and I get to help those who are where I was at.”
C.A. writes: “I just read your first “Chaplain’s Corner” in the Police1 e-publication. Thank you for what you do and your commitment to the spiritual and emotional well-being of police officers.”
ASK THE CHAPLAIN
Q: When you are on the job do you preach or try to convert someone to your beliefs?
A: No. When I became the department chaplain in 1999 I was an ordained minister and served as a local pastor in the community I saw it as a great way to give back to the community and not so much a place to preach to people. A friend of mine saw my desire and recommended that I attend training sessions with the International Conference of Police Chaplains. When I saw the difference between being a chaplain and a pastor I began to realized that my position had to be religion neutral and that I was the chaplain for all employees at all times. As the department chaplain I am ready to share the scriptures and encouragement to any officer who asks me and have made it my policy to wait for the officer to first come to me with biblical questions and concerns regardless of their religious backgrounds
Q: When a police officer meets with you are all conversations kept confidential?
A: The answer is both yes and no. Let me explain: When a police officer asks to talk with me I will look for a non-public area to talk. I will always ask the officer if this conversation is to be considered confidential? If the officer says, “Yes” then the rule of confidentiality is applied to all conversations made at that time and is confidential. The chaplain is then under a ministerial bond to keep the conversation confidential unless the officer allows it to be shared with others.
When the conversation is in a public or non-secured area, then the rule of thumb is that it is not confidential.
Q: When you are called out to a crime scene do you enter the secured area?
A: No. As a rule I work the perimeter of the area. When someone enters a major crime area it can distract the police officers that are focused on processing the scene and adds another person to the list of crime scene accountability. I have found that by being available on the outside, I’m given a chance to calm down, pray for and encourage victims without contaminating a crime scene and making one less person to account for in the secured area.
A PRAYER FOR OUR FELLOW OFFICERS:
God, I ask you to bless our Police Officers and their families during this time of the year. God, show them your love and power.
God, I pray that you minister your peace to them at this very moment.
Where there is pain, give them peace & mercy.
Where there is doubt I pray for a release and a renewed confidence in your ability to work through them.
Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I ask you to give them understanding, patience, & strength as they serve our communities. Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask you to renew them and draw them into greater love for you.
Where there is fear, reveal your love to them and lift up their courage.
Amen.
