Amidst Trauma, New Police Chaplains Offer Support
A police chaplain can be a vital support in times of crisis. But right now, Crystal, Robbinsdale and New Hope share just one.
However, a new training is aiming to boost their ranks to eight.
Police officers’ jobs have many layers—responding to traffic stops, noise complaints and tragedies.
When viewed daily, those tragedies can stick with officers. Oftentimes, they have to handle those feelings alone.
“As police officers, there are a fair number of times we deal with things that are tragic or horrific,” said Robbinsdale Captain John Elder.
Elder said personally, he responded to the death of an infant years ago. It shook him up, and he had to leave work halfway through his shift to process and see his family. The next day, he heard from a colleague.
“That was one of those calls that grabs ahold of you. And I will never forget—the chaplain that we had at our department at the time called in the next day and checked in on me,” Elder said.
He spoke to his department’s police chaplain, who helps officers work through trauma.
Chaplains also support victims and families at the scene of a crime.
Bolstering Their Ranks
For three police departments, sharing just one chaplain is not enough to support all its officers and citizens. Elder and his colleagues wanted to change that.
“Representatives from the three police agencies got together and said: ‘You know what? We really need this. We need this back,'” Elder said.
They coordinated an effort to recruit faith leaders in the region. Now, eight are being trained to answer that call.
Capt. Elder shares with chaplains-in-training on how he benefitted from having a police chaplain in previous jobs.
Training
Police chaplain and Pastor Jeremy Bratcher is leading that training. He said chaplains provide an important support role for officers that they may not get otherwise. Chaplains also can help people navigate complicated situations.
“You’re seeing a lot of the same things that an officer sees, but you’re responding in a different capacity,” Bratcher said.
Faith leaders from across the community are stepping up. They’re working through conversations on what officers might need, the best way to respond, and how to help them every step of the way. They serve all faith traditions and belief systems.
Bratcher said regardless of what people believe, faith in any aspect may help people understand what they need.
“If you were going through a traumatic event, would I be O.K. telling you, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know why this happened to you today, but we can get through it together.’ And to me, faith leans more into that realm than trying to ask ‘Why did this happen or not happen?'” Bratcher said.
The training will last 24 hours in total.
The eight chaplains will serve Crystal, Robbinsdale and New Hope on rotating shifts, in addition to many of their day jobs. Leaders hope to launch the chaplain program in November.
