I have now worked at three police departments and I can name AND recognize on sight, ONE police chaplain out of those three departments.
I NEVER knew police chaplains were for anything other than calling to a death scene. I NEVER knew they were part of peer support teams....a whole other resource I could not provide you many names for from any department.
Why are we not shouting these resources from the rooftops for our officers to KNOW they are there and who they are?!? We definitely need officers to know they are there for more than just a tough call, LODD, or death scene.
To be fair...while I was in...I didn't even think about chaplains or peer support, and I certainly wasn't going to ask either for help. It wasn't the culture 18 years ago...or even 8 years ago when I got out. But, THANKFULLY that appears to be changing...which is why I wanted to share this episode.
This week's episode is a chat with Kip Nelson, a local to Kansas City pastor and Police Chaplain. Kip shares about how he got into being a police chaplain and how they can e utilized by department members for ANYTHING they are going through. We even discussed how at one point I felt like I couldn't be a "good Christian" and a cop at the same time....something I've been told by others, so I hope it resonates.
Make sure you follow Kip on Instagram, here and LinkedIn, here.
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See you Next Shift