Establishing a Chaplaincy Program

• NCJ Number: 222979
• Journal: Law and Order Volume: 56 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2008 Pages: 81-86
• Author(s): Jim Weiss; Mickey Davis
• Date Published: April 2008
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After outlining the purposes of a police chaplaincy program, this article provides guidance on developing such a program.

Abstract

Police chaplains provide a resource of knowledge and experience that enables them to be resources for officers who need counseling, help in dealing with trauma, or just someone with whom they can share their thoughts and feelings in confidence. Chaplains can also be instructors in stress management and family crisis intervention, as well as provide leadership for memorial services, funerals, and award ceremonies. Law enforcement agencies that plan to establish a chaplaincy program must ensure that it has a nondenominational emphasis. A thorough background check on prospective chaplains is required to ensure that he/she will not use the chaplain's role to guide people into a particular belief system or institutional religious affiliation. If the chaplain is employed by a particular church, there must be an understanding with that church about how much time the chaplain will spend in departmental tasks and that his/her chaplaincy work is not related to building church membership. Planning for a chaplaincy program must also consider the resources required for the chaplain to perform his/her duties, such as a distinctive uniform, an office for consultation, and equipment for recordkeeping and correspondence. The program should be designed to avoid or diminish cultural and organizational barriers to officers' sharing of their concerns and problems with the chaplain. The chaplain should have a legitimate role within the department's organizational structure. Flexibility is required in determining where the chaplain fits in the organizational structure, since this will determine budgeting and policy issues. Once the chaplaincy program has been established, the department must support its purposes and activities financially, organizationally, and politically.