Chaplain Alan Farouhar
DeRidder Police Department · Serving from both sides of the badge
Alan Farouhar serves the DeRidder Police Department in Louisiana from both sides of the badge. By day, he wears the uniform and patrols the streets alongside his fellow officers. By calling, he serves as the department’s chaplain—the trusted colleague officers can turn to when carrying the emotional wounds of the job. Operating from within the ranks, Farouhar established the department’s chaplaincy program and mastered the delicate balance of switching roles mid-shift.
Compassion, Addiction, and Bridge-Building
In his series of conversations for the Police Chaplain Project—including Badge by Day, Bible by Night, Beyond the Handcuffs, and When Officers Choose Help Over Headlines—Farouhar pulls back the curtain on the quiet, compassionate realities of frontline policing:
Street-Level Ministry & Addiction: Detailing his off-the-clock work accompanying individuals to emergency rooms, providing ongoing counseling, and extending second and third chances to community members battling addiction.
Redefining Police Purpose: Demonstrating that proactive compassion and restorative care are not exceptions to law enforcement work, but expressions of its highest purpose.
Bridging Internal Divide: Addressing the disconnect between street-level police work and executive leadership, advocating for chaplains as essential bridges that foster mutual understanding within department hierarchies.
Permitting Officers to Heal: Creating a safe space inside the agency where hardened officers are granted permission to set aside hypervigilance, process their emotional pain, and seek help without fear of professional stigma.
Alan Farouhar’s dual service as an active officer and chaplain provides a powerful blueprint for internal department wellness—proving that real healing begins the moment an officer is supported in choosing help over silence.