Chaplain Dr. Dan Chapman
Police chaplain · Crisis response pioneer · Texas
Dr. Dan Chapman is a veteran law enforcement chaplain whose career in public safety ministry spans over three decades in Texas. Widely recognized across the state and nationally as a pioneer in emergency crisis response, critical incident stress management, and tactical chaplaincy, Chaplain Chapman has served as a foundational voice in first-responder support.
Critical Incident Response and Mass-Casualty Deployments
Throughout his career, Dr. Chapman responded to some of the most profound public-safety tragedies in Texas history. Among his most notable critical incident deployments was the October 16, 1991, mass shooting at Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, where a gunman killed 23 people and injured 27 others.
Deploying alongside a specialized team of Texas chaplains—including Chaplains Terry McDonald, Ted Kell, and Cal Gray—Chaplain Chapman spent days on scene providing critical incident stress debriefing (CISD), grief counseling, and pastoral support for responding police officers, emergency medical personnel, and victims' families. His leadership during mass-casualty events helped establish best practices for managing post-traumatic stress and operational recovery among first responders.