The goal of the chaplaincy program is to allow our department to work together in a partnership with qualified religious leaders -regardless of denomination – who are available to respond during a crisis. These volunteers can assist in providing a more personalized quality of service to the community and can help us provide a more comprehensive response to those individuals in their time of need. The Police Chaplain will perform tasks of a more emotional or social nature while the officer handles those tasks that are of a law enforcement nature.
The Police Chaplains will also be there for the Police. Many times, people under stress look to public servants such as the Police as the “perfect” person who can do almost anything. They expect the Police to solve problems, make the complex simple, and perform emergency responses without experiencing any emotional turmoil in the process. The truth is that Police and emergency service personnel do sustain a tremendous amount of stress as ‘first responders’ to the community they serve.
The Police Chaplain will be available to provide support for Police Officers and civilians who are stressed in either a social or emotional way. Chaplains are there to provide appropriate assistance, advice, comfort, counsel, and referrals to those in need who request such support. We are fortunate to have Pastor Barry Mulligan as our police chaplain.