Cautionary Guide to Death Notifications
You are going to a family you have never met and inform them one of their loved ones will never be coming home again. That in and of itself is difficult. Here are 10 important things you should know before making the actual Death Notification.
by Chaplain Jeffrey Wolfe
Death notifications are challenging tasks for Law Enforcement Chaplains. They deliver heartbreaking news to families about the loss of their loved ones. Typically, the local Coroner’s office handles most deaths, but sometimes, they request a Police Chaplain to make the death notification.
Here are some crucial points to remember when making a Death Notification:
1. Confirm the Coroner's Positive ID
Upon receiving a call from the Coroner’s Office, confirm if they have a positive ID of the deceased. To prevent mistakes, ask how the identification was made. Common methods include fingerprint, facial identification, dental records, and DNA.
2. Gather Accurate Details of the Decedent and the Incident
Accuracy is vital. Ensure you have correct details such as the decedent’s full name, birth date, time of death, residence, cause of death, and the Coroner's details.
3. Request Assistance from a District Car
For safety reasons, always request a district car's assistance when going to notify the next of kin.
4. Be Cautious when Knocking on the Door
Wait for the district car to arrive and then inform the officer about the death notification details. Always stand to the side of the door when knocking.
5. Show Your Credentials
When the door opens, identify yourself clearly and show your credentials.
6. Confirm You are Speaking to the Legal Next of Kin
After identifying yourself, confirm if you're talking to the legal next of kin before delivering the news.
7. Don’t Give the Death Notification at the Front Door
Ask for permission to come inside the house. This is a matter of respect and privacy for the family.
8. Be Direct with the Death Notification
Start by saying, “I have some bad news for you” to prepare the person for the upcoming information. Use explicit words like “died” or “killed” to kickstart the grieving process.
9. Know the Family's Cultural and Religious Practices
Understand the grieving processes and death rituals of the family's religion or culture to show respect and avoid misunderstanding.
Continuous learning about other faiths, local resources, and enhancing chaplain skills is crucial in this line of work.
Checklist:
Checklist:
[ ] Confirm the Coroner's Positive ID
[ ] Gather Accurate Details of the Decedent and the Incident
[ ] Request Assistance from a District Car
[ ] Be Cautious when Knocking on the Door
[ ] Show Your Credentials
[ ] Confirm You are Speaking to the Legal Next of Kin
[ ] Don’t Give the Death Notification at the Front Door
[ ] Be Direct with the Death Notification
[ ] Know the Family's Cultural and Religious Practices
[ ] Continue learning about other faiths, local resources, and enhancing chaplain skills
Note: One of the courses required for the Basic Chaplain Credential within the International Conference of Police Chaplains is called Death Notifications. Make sure you go through proper training and even observe an actual death notification before attempting to make your first notification solo (with an officer).
About the Author
Fr Jeff is the Managing Consultant for Write Right Consulting (Write Right, LLC), a First Responder Chaplain Consultant Firm specializing in Law Enforcement and Disaster Response Chaplaincy; a Contributing Editor, Writer, and content provider for ChaplainUSA.org; Adjunct Professor for the SCA University of Theology and Spirituality; a former Chaplain with the Indiana Guard Reserve (IGR), under 81st Troop Command as a member of the Chaplain Corps (US Army protocol) and a graduate of the Indiana Guard Reserve Military Police Academy; a member of The American Institute of Stress (https://stress.org); and a member of the Hendricks County, Indiana Crisis Response Team (NOVA CRT Trained and a CISM Instructor).
The Chaplain and the Cameraman
When Dave died on January 7th, I disconnected from the technologies that so often perplexed him. I took time to visit with his family and reflect on his extraordinary life and our unlikely friendship.
My friend David Fair was wonderfully at odds with the 21st century. Navigating his iphone and Facebook left him flummoxed.
His considerable gifts were firmly rooted in the real world, in places where the only glimmer of light was this stocky, utterly endearing man with the Texas accent.
Chaplain David Fair & Phillip LeConte
When Dave died on January 7th, I disconnected from the technologies that so often perplexed him. I took time to visit with his family and reflect on his extraordinary life and our unlikely friendship.
I had never met a police chaplain until I met Dave. Although my father was a police officer, chaplains tend to stay off the radar. They rarely talk about what they do.
I soon discovered that Dave was no ordinary chaplain. Among his peers he was considered one of the best.
I marveled at the extraordinary acts of civic kindness this man performed without pay and in near obscurity: delivering death notifications; comforting those traumatized by violence, not to mention talking “more than one” person from jumping off a water tower.
Dave was a beacon of light through some of the darkest days of the past thirty years. His deployments include Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Dolly, Gustav and Ike, the aftermath of Waco’s Branch Davidian stand-off, the Oklahoma City bombing and Ground Zero in the days following September 11.
Rightly considered, Dave perfectly embodied the best of Christian social teaching. Having spent much of my life lamenting the state of religion in America, which at times seemed more “Game of Thrones” than Beatitudes, Dave was the good I dared to appear.
He represented a group of citizens who provide a spiritual lifeline to people in their most desperate hour. It was a story I thought worth telling.
Fifteen years later, the Police Chaplain Project, the organization Dave and I co-founded, has conducted more than 120 on-camera interviews with some of the most accomplished police chaplains of the past 50 years.
Dave’s wisdom is now a permanent part of our digital archive. Up in the cloud, where Dave was so often adrift, he now reigns, a mere click away for future generations of police chaplains and those of us who just want to occasionally hear his voice.
Dave’s life is a reminder that grief and tragedy are only for a time, and that the hard work of making this world a better place only begins by signing-off, looking up and engaging with others.
Dave, I will forever be grateful to you for the wonderful group of chaplains I have met and proudly call friend. To say that they are among the best people I know is an understatement. They are an “absolute good”.
To his wife Karen and his children, thank you for sharing Dave with me so I could share him with others.
Phillip LeConte
Co-founder of the Police Chaplain Project
_____________________________
Police Chaplain Project, an archive of wisdom for chaplains and caregivers, can be found at ChaplainUSA.org.
Facebook Group Guidelines
Thank you all for joining the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop and supporting our work at ChaplainUSA.org.
Our mission is to support police chaplains - hence, we work hard to ensure that our Facebook Page and Group is a trusted space for professional police chaplain organizations.
Police Chaplain Coffee Shop is a Facebook Group for police chaplains, retired police chaplains, and those who police chaplains invite.
Facebook Guidelines
Thank you all for joining the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop and supporting our work at ChaplainUSA.org.
Our mission is to support police chaplains - hence, we work hard to ensure that our Facebook Page and Group is a trusted space for professional police chaplain organizations.
For this reason, we keep our content focused on chaplaincy, using the non-denominational guidelines of International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) as a way to frame content.
If some content is not shared, it is NOT because we object to religious content, but rather that we want to keep this small corner of the internet focused on chaplain training.
Doing so helps us reach more chaplains and more members of the law enforcement community.
This is also the reason we rarely post “third party links” to places like CNN or other off-Facebook sites.
Facebook demotes those kinds of posts.
The only exception are links to other Facebook Groups officially partnered with ChaplainUSA.
That said, we’d love to hear your voice! Please share your thoughts within in the Group or Page through Commenting or Creating a Post from scratch that addresses the concerns of chaplains.
We appreciate your support and are so glad to count you as a member.
Police Chaplain Coffee Shop
ps.
If you have written content related to police chaplaincy, or have information or ideas you would like to share with our audience and beyond, please contact us. We are always honored to work with chaplains in developing educational content for our community.
See less
Rules for the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop
1
Posts must be about police chaplains or of interest to police chaplains.
The way to fix this is to use the magic words: "Police chaplain" in your post.
The words can transform a picture of a cat into something meaningful for chaplains. For
instance...
"Police chaplains and cats have a lot in common ... we both are present, we both listen,
we both comfort."
Thanks to our cat Whiskers for teaching me the best way to heal a troubled soul is to
listen. Every police chaplain should have a cat.
2
Share Links to Websites in Comments
The Facebook algorithm determines which posts people see every time they check their
Facebook feed,
Coffee Shop has 2K members, but only a fraction see the Group's content in their feed.
One reason is FB favors posts that keep people on Facebook. So if you have an external
link to share, include it in Comments under your post so that more of our members see it.
3
Don't Post Links to Websites
Don't post links to destinations off Facebook.
Facebook tends not to share links that take people away from its platform.
Better to link to similar content on Facebook.
(Rather than link to the LAPD Website, link to the LAPD's Facebook page. Rather than link
to a news event on CNN's site, search for a posting from the impacted a police department
on their Facebook page.)
If you like we can help you find a Facebook alternative link for the content you wish to
share.
You may share links in the Reply section under the Post
4
Share what is on your heart.
Post what you have been thinking about. I call it a "here is what is on my heart" post.
It's a post that starts from Scratch....in your head.
It is about something you have been thinking about overnight….while away from the
computer.
It starts like this....
"Last night I was thinking about my grandchildren and how much has changed since I went
to school."
After reading it, invite other chaplains to chime in.
5
Adhere to the ICPC Code of Ethics
Our mission is to support police chaplains hence, we work hard to ensure that our
Facebook Page and Group is a trusted space for professional police chaplain
organizations.
For this reason, we adhere to the International Conference of Police Chaplains Canon of
Ethics for Law Enforcement Chaplains.
By following these guidelines when we post, other groups and agencies can confidently
share our content, which helps us reach more chaplains and more members of the law
enforcement community.
6
An elevator full of police chaplains.
That is not a quiet place. It is a place of laughter and good vibes. It is a place where you
feel the power!
Police Chaplain Coffee Shop is about chaplains talking to one another. When chaplains
visit, they need to feel the power of a chaplain community. Speak freely. You are among
friends.
7
Share your life. Big stuff, Little stuff.
In the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop, police chaplains ARE the news.
What you think is the news. How you cope, your spouse, your kids, your dog or cat, what
shows you watch on Netflix…these ARE the news in the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop.
8
Books and Blogs
If you have written content related to police chaplaincy - a book, a blog, etc - we would
love to share that information. Bring it on!
9
We all break the rules sometimes.
If you are an active member of any group on Facebook, you've probably unknowingly
broken the Group's posting rules.
Trying to consistently enforce the rules is a challenge, but bear with us.
Read over the rules and when you do cross over the line, we will work with you to fix the
problem. Please know that your participation here is truly appreciated.
1 Focus on Chaplaincy
Posts must be about police chaplains or of interest to police chaplains.
The way to fix this is to use the magic words: "Police chaplain" in your post.
The words can transform a picture of a cat into something meaningful for chaplains. For
instance...
"Police chaplains and cats have a lot in common ... we both are present, we both listen,
we both comfort."
Thanks to our cat Whiskers for teaching me the best way to heal a troubled soul is to
listen. Every police chaplain should have a cat.
2 Share Links to Websites in Comments
The Facebook algorithm determines which posts people see every time they check their
Facebook feed,
Coffee Shop has 2K members, but only a fraction see the Group's content in their feed.
One reason is FB favors posts that keep people on Facebook. So if you have an external
link to share, include it in Comments under your post so that more of our members see it.
3 Post Original Content. Don't Post Links to Websites
Don't post links to destinations off Facebook.
Facebook tends not to share links that take people away from its platform.
Better to link to similar content on Facebook.
(Rather than link to the LAPD Website, link to the LAPD's Facebook page. Rather than link
to a news event on CNN's site, search for a posting from the impacted a police department
on their Facebook page.)
If you like we can help you find a Facebook alternative link for the content you wish to
share. You may share links in the Reply section under the Post
4
Share what is on your heart.
Post what you have been thinking about. I call it a "here is what is on my heart" post.
It's a post that starts from Scratch....in your head.
It is about something you have been thinking about overnight….while away from the
computer.
It starts like this....
"Last night I was thinking about my grandchildren and how much has changed since I went
to school."
After reading it, invite other chaplains to chime in.
5 Adhere to the ICPC Code of Ethics
Our mission is to support police chaplains hence, we work hard to ensure that our
Facebook Page and Group is a trusted space for professional police chaplain
organizations.
For this reason, we adhere to the International Conference of Police Chaplains Canon of
Ethics for Law Enforcement Chaplains.
By following these guidelines when we post, other groups and agencies can confidently
share our content, which helps us reach more chaplains and more members of the law
enforcement community.
6
An elevator full of police chaplains.
That is not a quiet place. It is a place of laughter and good vibes. It is a place where you
feel the power!
Police Chaplain Coffee Shop is about chaplains talking to one another. When chaplains
visit, they need to feel the power of a chaplain community. Speak freely. You are among
friends.
7
Share your life. Big stuff, Little stuff.
In the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop, police chaplains ARE the news.
What you think is the news. How you cope, your spouse, your kids, your dog or cat, what
shows you watch on Netflix…these ARE the news in the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop.
8
Books and Blogs
If you have written content related to police chaplaincy - a book, a blog, etc - we would
love to share that information. Bring it on!
9
We all break the rules sometimes.
If you are an active member of any group on Facebook, you've probably unknowingly
broken the Group's posting rules.
Trying to consistently enforce the rules is a challenge, but bear with us.
Read over the rules and when you do cross over the line, we will work with you to fix the
problem. Please know that your participation here is truly appreciated.
Police Chaplains: Frontline of Community Engagement
Often it is Police Chaplains who are on the frontlines of Community Engagement.
by Chaplain Jeff Wolfe
“What I try to tell young people is that if you come together with a mission, and its
grounded with love and a sense of community, you can make the
impossible possible.” –Congressman John Lewis
A couple years ago, I was in Anaheim, CA for advanced chaplain training. The location for the training was at Magnolia Baptist Church in Anaheim. When I arrived the first day, I had arrived early (as I often do, to meet others in training and maybe have a few moments with the instructor), I met the pastor, who also was one of the facilitators for the training. His name was Nathan Zug. Nathan is a police chaplain for Anaheim Police Department and the Anaheim Fire Department.
As I began to become acquainted with Nathan over the next few days, I learned a lot about this quiet, unassuming man. He quietly setup the room each morning with a gentle disposition which was disarming and almost soothing. As I learned more about this pastor/police chaplain/fire chaplain/family man/community leader, I discovered that behind his quiet, unassuming personality was a man that had many plates spinning behind the scenes. Not that the five (5) roles I just listed weren’t enough, he was always trying to find ways to solve problems within his community.
One problem within Orange County (in which Anaheim is located) is homelessness. According to the “Orange County Homeless Count & Survey Report” from July 2015, the number of homeless living in Anaheim was 4, 452 people. In a federally mandated report in 2017, the homeless count went up to 4,792. That was an increase of almost 7% in just two years.
In 2017, Nathan and the Board for Magnolia Baptist Church realized that they needed to do something. As they began, they started a food program to feed the homeless in their community. They needed volunteers – volunteers that weren’t part of the church, but part of the community. Nathan knew he needed a way to engage the community in helping address its own problem of homelessness if it were to be effective. A simple concept – people helping people. Nathan needed a simple way to communicate a message of people helping people in their own community, regardless of race, creed, gender, socio-economic status. The idea “Love Anaheim” was born. Not a religious-based program, but a community-focused program, meeting the needs of all demographics of their diverse community. According to their website http://www.loveanaheim.org,
“Love Anaheim is multi – sector Service Project Movement with the goal of loving and serving Anaheim. It features 4 main Service Project Events (1 each quarter or so) that will match willing leaders, volunteers, and funding to accomplish a wide range of need based projects. The Love Anaheim Movement will add goodness, compassion and kindness across the City of Anaheim by the various Faith Based Groups, non-profits, school districts, businesses, service organizations, neighborhoods, city departments, residents, and guests all working together for the common good of Anaheim.”
---from “About Us” section of http://www.loveanaheim.org
Initially Nathan needed the website to help awareness and need for volunteers in the community to help the burgeoning homeless within Anaheim. But then one of Nathan’s church members was a graphic web designer and software developer asked Nathan if he could take his little website and “play with it for a while”. When his church member came back to Nathan with his “improvements”, Nathan realized his church member had taken his website and plugged the content into a platform model known as “love our cities”.
Nathan learned that Love Our Cities began out of the success of Love Modesto. Love Modesto started in 2007 at Big Valley Grace Community Church with two questions:
Why is our city on lists of the “worst cities in America”?
If our churches were to suddenly disappear from the Modesto area, would anyone even care or notice?”
Nathan discovered that Modesto was considering similar challenges 9 years earlier as Anaheim was now considering. Love Modesto, overtime developed a platform called “LoveOurCities.org” which became a flexible community focused website to which any city could utilize to address similar problems as Nathan and his church were trying to address.
For Nathan, http://www.loveanaheim.org has become a central hub which “… features 4 main Service Project Events… that will match willing leaders, volunteers, and funding to accomplish a wide range of need based projects.”.
Often it is Police Chaplains who are on the frontlines of Community Engagement. As a police chaplain, Nathan often had access to and was able to see first-hand, the needs of his community and the community that Anaheim Police Department served. It was through a police chaplain, a community church, and a church member speaking up about helping with a website that began what is now http://www.loveanaheim.org.
Police Chaplains often can be bridges between diverse communities.
10 Things Police Chaplains Can Share About Service Dogs
Police chaplain know how vital a service dog is to the people who depend on them. Chaplains can be educators to the public about the relationship between these wonder companions and the disabled.
Police chaplain know how vital a service dog is to the people who depend on them. Chaplains can be educators to the public about the relationship between these wonder companions and the disabled. To help fill in the holes, here are the top 10 things Service Dog handlers want every member of the public to know and understand.
1.) My Service Dog Is Working
When you see my partner and I out and about in public, please understand that she’s doing vital work for me, even if she doesn’t “look like” she’s working to you. Just like when you’re working, she just wants (and needs) to be left alone to do her job. Please don’t distract my Service Dog from her job by yelling at her, talking to her, using baby talk at her, touching her, touching her equipment, crowding her, whistling at her, barking at her or otherwise doing anything except politely ignoring her.
2.) My Service Dog Is My Lifeline
Depending on my disability, my Service Dog may be the only thing standing between me and death. She’s my lifeline and she means the world to me. Please don’t distract her from doing her job or her tasks because my life, health, and peace of mind, rests in her paws. If you distract her and she isn’t able to respond appropriately, my ensuing illness or injury is YOUR fault. Please just ignore her entirely and let her focus on her job, which is keeping me safe.
3.) My Medical History Is Private
Please don’t ask me about my diagnosis, try to guess the reason I have a Service Dog, or ask me to disclose my private medical history. Even if you can’t readily tell what my disability may be, it’s really none of your business. Making inquiries about personal information is not only uncalled for, it’s very rude.
4.) I Don’t Always Want to Answer Questions
My Service Dog has made a huge difference in my life, but I don’t always want to stop and talk to every single person who wants to ask me about her. Sometimes, I just want to run a quick errand and go home, just like you. Please keep in mind that almost every person who sees me out in public with my Service Dog wants to ask me about her job, her purpose, her name, her breed, where she was trained, what she does, how old she is, and a plethora of other questions. Please don’t be offended if I’m slightly short or dodge your questions. Most of the time, they’re personal questions anyways and shouldn’t be asked.
5.) Not All Service Dogs Are The Same
Service Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, breeds, colors, coat types and specialties. You cannot identify one by sight alone and it doesn’t matter if you think my partner doesn’t “look like” a Service Dog. Unfortunately as well, fake Service Dogs are relatively common, and they do a lot of damage to legitimate teams. Please don’t judge my obviously well-trained, well-mannered, quiet, well-groomed, highly responsive Service Dog based on the behavior of some yappy, smelly, aggressive little mongrel someone claimed was a “Service Dog.” Behavior tells all, and I ask that you not compare me to any other Service Dog handlers or teams you may know or may have met, because not all Service Dogs are the same.
6.) My Service Dog Is Loved
Please don’t tell me you “feel sorry” for my Service Dog because she has to work all the time. She’s incredibly loved and she does in fact enjoy “time off” so she can just be a dog. She does get treats, she does get to play and sometimes, when she’s off duty, she enjoys getting the “zoomies” and running around in massive circles like she’s lost her connection to the mothership and she’s trying to re-establish the signal. She’s very well taken care of and she’s better off than most pet dogs because she’s well-adjusted, highly trained and well socialized.
7.) My Service Dog Is Medical Equipment
My Service Dog is medical equipment, just like a wheelchair, crutches or an oxygen tank. She is medically necessary and anywhere in public medical equipment is allowed, so is my Service Dog. Additionally, please treat her like medical equipment. You wouldn’t walk up to someone you didn’t know and just randomly start pushing their wheelchair or talk to a little old lady’s cane, so please don’t touch, talk to, pet or otherwise engage with my partner.
8.) My Service Dog Is Protected Under Law
United States federal law protects my Service Dog’s access rights. Federal law allows my Service Dog and I to go ANYWHERE in public people are allowed to frequent. There are no exceptions, and we don’t care if food is being made, it’s a hospital or you don’t want dogs in your business. Federal law gives my Service Dog COMPLETE access, and your opinion doesn’t matter. The only times my Service Dog could be excluded from any public place is if she’s not house trained or is out of control and I’m not doing anything about it, and neither of those would EVER be an issue.
9.) There Is No Certification Required
There are no papers, documentation, ID, certification, or other required information of any kind for me to have my partner in public with me. Not only is there no documentation necessary, but it’s illegal for you to ask for any. If you’re a business owner and you’re not certain my partner is a Service Dog, then you may ONLY ask two questions: if my partner is a Service Dog, and what work my partner does for me. That’s all. You can’t ask for my private medical information, request “paperwork” or do anything except ask me those two questions.
10.) I’d Rather Not Have A Service Dog
Please don’t tell me you’d “like to have a Service Dog.” In order to have a Service Dog, you have to be disabled as defined by U.S. federal law. Everytime you say, “I wish I had a Service Dog,” you’re saying, “I wish whatever is wrong with you was wrong with me, too!” Also, please don’t tell me you “wish your dog could go everywhere with you.” Again, that requires SO MUCH MORE than you think it does, not the least of which is thousands of hours of training and socialization. It’s not easy and while my partner is completely worth it, I’d rather not need her.
The Violence Project: How To Stop the Mass Shooting Epidemic
Mass shooters overwhelmingly fit a profile. Can we stop them before they commit violence.
New research reveals striking commonalities among the perpetrators of mass shootings and suggest a data-backed, mental health-based approach to ID and stop the next mass shooter before he pulls the trigger.
This according to researchers who constructed a database of every mass shooter since 1966 who shot and killed four or more people in a public place, and every shooting incident at schools, workplaces and places of worship since 1999.
Funded by the research arm of the Department of Justice, researches Jillian Peterson and James Densley, published their findings in a recent book, The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic.
What Creates a Mass Shooter?
Peterson: There’s a consistent pathway.
Early childhood trauma seems to be the foundation, whether violence in the home, sexual assault, parental suicides, extreme bullying.
Then you see the build toward hopelessness, despair, isolation, self-loathing, oftentimes rejection from peers.
That turns into a really identifiable crisis point where they’re acting differently. Sometimes they have previous suicide attempts.
What’s different from traditional suicide is that the self-hate turns against a group. They start asking themselves, “Whose fault is this?” Is it a racial group or women or a religious group, or is it my classmates? The hate turns outward. There’s also this quest for fame and notoriety.
A good guy with a gun can be an incentive for these individuals.
According to the research, shootings are almost always acts of violent suicide.
Peterson: I don’t think most people realize that these are suicides, in addition to homicides. Mass shooters design these to be their final acts. When you realize this, it completely flips the idea that someone with a gun on the scene is going to deter this. If anything, that’s an incentive for these individuals. They are going in to be killed.
It’s hard to focus on the suicide because these are horrific homicides. But it’s a critical piece because we know so much from the suicide prevention world that can translate here.
So, what are the solutions?
Peterson: Then we really need resources at institutions like schools. We need to build teams to investigate when kids are in crisis and then link those kids to mental health services.
Densley: Too often in politics it becomes an either-or proposition. Gun control or mental health. Our research says that none of these solutions is perfect. We have to do multiple things at one time and put them together as a comprehensive package. People have to be comfortable with complexity and that’s not always easy.
Lifesaving Educational Resources for Police Chaplains
Many of you are aware of the SAMHSA Training Technology Transfer Centers (TTCs) as well as the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) who have developed the following list of materials includes those focused on general mental health and substance use-related needs after an incident of violence and civil unrest, as well as separate sections with resources for faith-based communities and spiritual leaders; children, youth, parents and other caregivers, and schools; and disaster responders.
Thanks to Chaplain Jeff Wolfe and the TTCs for these life saving resources.
Below you will find resources for faith-based communities and spiritual leaders, children, youth, parents, caregivers, and schools disaster responders, SAMHSA Training Technology Transfer Centers (TTCs) as well as the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC)
General Disaster Response and Recovery Information
· Coping With Grief After Community Violence—This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) tip sheet introduces some of the signs of grief and anger after an incident of community violence, provides useful information about to how to cope with grief, and offers tips for helping children deal with grief.
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Coping-With-Grief-After-Community-Violence/SMA14-4888
· Tips for Survivors: Coping With Grief After a Disaster or Traumatic Event—In this tip sheet, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) defines and describes grief, discusses ways of coping with grief, explains complicated grief, and offers relevant resources for additional support.
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Tips-for-Survivors-/SMA17-5035
· Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Managing Stress—This SAMHSA tip sheet gives stress prevention and management tips for dealing with the effects of trauma, mass violence, or terrorism. It lists tips to relieve stress, describes how to know when to seek professional help, and provides accompanying resources.
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Tips-for-Survivors-of-a-Disaster-or-Other-Traumatic-Event-Managing-Stress/SMA13-4776
This tip sheet is also available in Spanish at https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Tips-for-Survivors-of-a-Disaster-or-Other-Traumatic-Event-Managing-Stress-Spanish-Version-/SMA13-4776SPANISH. A similar tip sheet is available in Punjabi at https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Tips-for-Survivors-of-a-Traumatic-Event-Managing-Your-Stress-Punjabi-Version-/NMH05-0209PUNJABI.
· Coping with a Disaster or Traumatic Event—At this web page, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes the importance of coping after a disaster, and getting professional help if needed, with reactions that may be difficult and intense. Links are provided to additional information about managing your emotional health as a survivor, supporting your children in coping, and making time for self-care as a disaster responder.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/index.asp
This information is available in Spanish at https://emergency.cdc.gov/es/coping/index.asp.
Resources for Faith-based Communities and Spiritual Leaders
· Faith Communities and Disaster Mental Health—This NDIN tip sheet provides information for religious leaders about common stress reactions people may experience in response to a disaster and suggests ways they can cope, and help others cope, with disaster stress reactions. The sheet also provides information on referring people for mental health services.
http://www.n-din.org/ndin_resources/tipsheets_v1208/11_NDIN_TS_DisasterMentalHealth.pdf
· Tips & Lessons—Disaster Response: The Sunday After a Disaster—This tip sheet from Episcopal Relief & Development offers advice on how to provide community and congregational support after a disaster.
http://www.episcopalrelief.org/uploads/EducationFileModel/56/file/Sunday-After-Disaster.pdf
· Vulnerable Populations & Disaster—This tip sheet discusses the need for religious leaders to accommodate the needs of vulnerable populations during disaster preparedness and response. The sheet identifies the types of vulnerable populations and illustrates preparedness and response best practices to assist individuals within these populations.
http://www.n-din.org/ndin_resources/tipsheets_v1208/26_NDIN_TS_VulnerablePopulations.pdf
Resources for Children, Youth, Parents and Other Caregivers, and Schools
Understanding Child Trauma—This web page identifies events that children and youth may experience as traumatic, presents statistics on traumatic experiences and their effects on children and youth, lists signs of traumatic stress in children and youth of various ages, and offers tips for parents and other important adults in the lives of children and youth for helping children and youth to cope with trauma. Links to resources for more information and support are also provided.
https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/understanding-child-trauma
· Age-related Reactions to a Traumatic Event—In this information and tip sheet, the NCTSN provides an overview of how children and adolescents may react to natural and human-caused disasters that they experience as traumatic. It describes reactions typical within specific age ranges and offers tips for parents and other caregivers, school personnel, healthcare practitioners, and community members to help children and adolescents cope.
https://www.nctsn.org/resources/age-related-reactions-traumatic-event
· Community Violence: Reactions and Actions in Dangerous Times—This resource from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) provides information on community violence, how it can affect daily lives, and what to do for support.
https://www.nctsn.org/resources/community-violence-reactions-and-actions-dangerous-times
· Helping Youth After Community Trauma: Tips for Educators—In this 1-page tip sheet, the NCTSN identifies 10 ways in which youth may react to community traumas such as natural or human-caused disasters and suggests ways for educators to respond to these reactions and support youth in coping. The tip sheet also advises educators to find professional mental health support for youth—and for themselves—as needed. https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/tip-sheet/helping_youth_after_community_trauma_for_educators_final_explosions.pdf
Resources for Disaster Responders
· Psychological First Aid for First Responders: Tips for Emergency and Disaster Response Workers—This SAMHSA tip sheet provides first responders with information on how to address people for the first time after a disaster and how to calmly communicate and promote safety.
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Psychological-First-Aid-for-First-Responders/NMH05-0210
· Tips for Disaster Responders: Preventing and Managing Stress—This SAMHSA tip sheet helps disaster response workers prevent and manage stress. It includes strategies to help responders prepare for their assignment, use stress-reducing precautions during the assignment, and manage stress in the recovery phase of the assignment. https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Preventing-and-Managing-Stress/SMA14-4873
This tip sheet is available in Spanish at https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Tips-for-Disaster-Responders-Preventing-And-Managing-Stress-Spanish-Version-/SMA14-4873SPANISH.
· Tips for Disaster Responders: Understanding Compassion Fatigue—This SAMHSA tip sheet defines and describes compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. It lists signs of compassion fatigue and offers tips for preventing compassion fatigue and coping with it if it occurs, and it notes that responders may also experience positive effects as a result of their work.
https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/sma14-4869.pdf
This tip sheet is also available in Spanish at https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Tips-for-Disaster-Responders-Understanding-Compassion-Fatigue-Spanish-Version-/SMA14-4869SPANISH.
· Traumatic Incident Stress: Information for Emergency Response Workers—This CDC fact sheet outlines symptoms of traumatic incident stress and lists activities emergency response workers can do on site and at home to cope with the challenging aspects of disaster response. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/works/coversheet643.html
Additional Resource for Acute Needs
· National Suicide Prevention Lifeline—Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a source of support available 24/7 to people in crisis, including challenging reactions to disasters. Call 1–800–273–TALK (1–800–273–8255), or, for support in Spanish, call 1–888–628–9454.
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
A traumatic event such as this is unexpected and often brings out strong emotions. People can call the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline’s toll-free number (1–800–985–5990) and receive immediate counseling. This free, confidential, and multilingual crisis support service is also available via SMS (text TalkWithUs to 66746) to anyone experiencing psychological distress as a result of this event. People who call and text are connected to trained and caring professionals from crisis counseling centers in the network. Helpline staff provide confidential counseling, referrals, and other needed support services.
The SAMHSA Disaster App allows disaster behavioral health responders to navigate resources related to pre-deployment preparation, on-the-ground assistance, and post-deployment resources. Users can also share resources from the app via text message or email and quickly identify local mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. https://store.samhsa.gov/apps/disaster
How To Process The Loss Of A Loved One To Substance Abuse
We recently received this letter from Renae Evans, Outreach Coordinator at Spring Hill Recovery:
I'm a team member at Spring Hill Recovery, a center accredited by The Joint Commission considered to be "The Gold Standard" of rehabilitation care. Our organization knows everyone’s situation is unique and deserves personalized, evidence-based treatments.
We believe the same applies to grieving. There is no single way to grieve or heal from the loss of a loved one to drugs and alcohol. For that reason, we created a guide that explains:
How To Process The Loss Of A Loved One To Substance Abuse.
Steps For Healing From The Loss of A Loved One Due To Addiction.
Taking Care Of Yourself After The Death Of A Loved One.
& much more.
Click here to go to article.
Would you be able to help us share this free guide, https://springhillrecovery.com/coping-with-grief/, by adding this link to your website?
Yes, Ms. Evens we are proud to do so.
Our culture assumes happiness is the normal human condition. Why?
To be unhappy enough to end it all, a person must first imagine a condition of greater happiness, then lose hope that the greater happiness can be achieved.
Only humans “dream things that never were” and “say ‘Why not?’ ” as George Bernard Shaw famously put it. This capacity gives us flying machines and pocket computers. It also gives us rising suicide rates in countries around the globe, from the United States to India to New Zealand.
To be unhappy enough to end it all, a person must first imagine a condition of greater happiness, then lose hope that the greater happiness can be achieved.
Because there is no limit to human imagination, there is never a shortage of greener pastures.
A strong case can be made that modern society does a poor job of preparing 21st-century humans for the inevitable ebb and flow of discontent. Indeed, British therapist and philosopher James Davies has buttressed that case formidably in a scholarly tome titled “The Importance of Suffering.”
Davies argues that we have created a culture that assumes happiness to be the normal, healthy human condition. Deviations from the blissful path — sadness, anxiety, disappointment — are thus treated as illnesses in search of a cure. This “harmful cultural belief that much of our everyday suffering is a damaging encumbrance best swiftly removed” gets in the way of a more robust response, he writes: namely, approaching unpleasant emotions as “potentially productive experiences to be engaged with and learnt from.”
Davies suggests that suffering is a healthy call-to-change and shouldn't be chemically anesthetised or avoided.
The Importance of Suffering offers new ways to think about, and therefore understand suffering. It will appeal to anyone who works with suffering in a professional context.
If you or a loved one feels suicidal, please seek help. The 24-hour suicide prevention number is 800-273-8255. They can’t promise happiness — but they can help you find your strength
The Death of George Floyd
We condemn the indefensible use of force that led to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Now we must find a way forward.
Police chaplains can light the way by reaffirming that foundational principle that we are all in this together, and must act like it.
We must look to those moments of amazing grace amid the riots in our cities. Protesters who courageously protected the weak or sought to restrain violence. In a few places, police who marched with, or prayed with, the protesters.
Today we call on people of goodwill to pray for a restoration of peace in our community and a return to civil order. May the spirit of God unite us in love and respect, and heal our broken society.
Chaplain David Fair, President
Manage Stress During the Coronavirus Outbreak from The Crisis Doctor
First responders' duties are stressful under normal operations, but personnel are now faced with working conditions they may never have imagined seeing.
As PPE and supplies become difficult to find, coworkers get quarantined or become sick, and the reported numbers climb every day, it is very important to make time to destress and take care of your mental (and physical) health.
Big thanks to the Alabama Law Enforcement Alliance for Peer Support and Dr. Tim P. Faulk for creating Stress Management for Emergency Responders Exposed to COVID-19 PDF.
To Download, click below:
Captain Arthur H. Rostron: What Leadership in a Crisis Looks Like
“Are you sure it is the Titanic and requires immediate assistance?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You are absolutely certain?”
“Quite certain.”
“All right, tell him we are coming along as fast as we can.”
The leadership of Captain Arthur H. Rostron in the hours following the sinking of Titanic remain to this day a masterpiece of crisis management.
From the moment Captain Rostron was informed of the distress messages received from Titanic, every order he issued was intended to get to the stricken ship as quickly as possible, all the while preparing his own ship to receive survivors and give them the care they needed.
Years later, his actions on the night of April 14, 1912 were vividly brought to life by author Walter Lord in his classic “A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the Titanic”.
For anyone looking for a source of inspiration or who needs a reminder of what leadership in a crisis looks like, read on:
Excerpt from A Night to Remember:
Captain Arthur H. Rostron
Captain Rostron then rushed into the chart room and worked out the Carpathia’s new course. As he figured and scribbled, he saw the boatswain’s mate pass by, leading a party to scrub down the decks.
Rostron told him to forget the decks and prepare the boats for lowering. The mate gaped. Rostron reassured him, “It’s all right; we’re going to another vessel in distress.”
In a few moments the new course was set—North 52 West. The Carpathia was 58 miles away. At 14 knots she would take four hours to get there. Too long.
Rostron sent for Chief Engineer Johnstone, told him to pour it on—call out the off-duty watch … cut off the heat and hot water … pile every ounce of steam into the boilers.
Next, Rostron sent for First Officer Dean. He told him to knock off all routine work, organize the ship for rescue operations. Specifically, prepare and swing out all boats … rig electric clusters along the ship’s side … open all gangway doors … hook block and line rope in each gangway … rig chair slings for the sick and injured, canvas and bags for hauling up children at every gangway … drop pilot ladders and side ladders at gangways and along the sides … rig cargo nets to help people up … prepare forward derricks (with steam in the winches) to hoist mail and luggage aboard … and have oil handy to pour down the lavatories on both sides of the ship, in case the sea grew rough.
Then he called the ship’s surgeon, Dr. McGhee: collect all the restoratives and stimulants on the ship … set up first-aid stations in each dining saloon … put the Hungarian doctor in charge of Third Class … the Italian doctor in Second … McGhee himself in First.
Now it was Purser Brown’s turn: see that the Chief Steward, the Assistant Purser and himself each covered a different gangway—receive the Titanic’s, passengers … get their names … channel them to the proper dining saloon (depending on class) for medical check.
Finally, another barrage of orders for Chief Steward Harry Hughes: call out every man … prepare coffee for all hands … have soup, coffee, tea, brandy and whisky ready for survivors … pile blankets at every gangway … convert smoking room, lounge and library into dormitories for the rescued … group all the Carpathia’s steerage passengers together, use the space saved for the Titanic’s steerage.
He then sent for the master-at-arms to keep the steerage passengers under control. After all, no one knew how they’d react to being shuffled about.
The ship sprang to life. Down in the engine room it seemed as if everyone had found a shovel and was pouring on the coal. The extra watch tumbled out of their bunks and raced to lend a hand. Most didn’t even wait to dress. Faster and faster the old ship knifed ahead—14 … 14½ … 15 … 16½ … 17 knots.
No one dreamed the Carpathia could drive so hard. In the crew’s quarters a tug at his blanket woke up Steward Robert H. Vaughan. A voice told him to get up and dress. It was pitch-black, but Vaughan could hear his roommates already pulling on their clothes. He asked what was up, and the voice said the Carpathia had hit an iceberg. Vaughan stumbled to the porthole and looked out. The ship was driving ahead, white waves rolling out from her side.
When they reached the deck, an officer put them to work collecting blankets. Then to the First Class dining saloon … now a beehive of men scurrying about, shifting chairs, resetting tables, moving the liquor from the bar to the buffet.
Elsewhere word spread that Captain Rostron wanted 3,000 blankets for “that many extra people.” But nobody knew why. At 1:15 they learned. The stewards were all mustered into the main dining saloon and Chief Steward Hughes announced, “Titanic is sinking. We’re going north like hell”. He explained their duties … paused … then delivered his ending: “Every man to his post and let him do his full duty like a true Englishman.”
Carpathia endured its own hazards that night, dodging icebergs along the entire 58-mile route. Much later Rostron noted that the safety of his crew and passengers, and the survival of any Titanic survivors they might reach, “depended on the sudden turn of the wheel.”
The Carpathia arrived at the distress position at 4:00 a.m., approximately an hour and a half after the Titanic went down, claiming more than 1,500 lives. For the next four and a half hours, the ship took on the 705 survivors of the disaster from Titanic's 20 lifeboats.
Hundreds of wireless messages were sent from Cape Race and other shore stations addressed to Captain Rostron from relatives of Titanic passengers and journalists demanding details in exchange for money. Rostron ordered that no news stories would be transmitted directly to the press. Early on the morning of Tuesday 16 April, Carpathia finally arrived in New York.
For their rescue work, the crew of Carpathia were awarded medals by the survivors. Crew members were awarded bronze medals, officers silver, and Captain Rostron was knighted by King George V, and was later a guest of President Taft at the White House, where he was presented with a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honour the United States Congress could confer.
What are the Long-term Benefits of a Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Program?
Chaplain Travis Maclay of the Riverside Police Department (CA) is a current doctoral student pursuing a PhD in Leadership.
Chaplain Travis Maclay
We’ll let Chaplain Travis Maclay take it from here:
I am narrowing the focus of my dissertation topic and am leaning toward a qualitative research analysis on the long-term wellness benefits of a law enforcement agency’s adoption of a chaplain program.
Therefore, maybe the best thing for now is to introduce the bigger research project (see below) and seek any feedback regarding the project as it is being formed.
Specifically, two things would be helpful:
1) Any research studies or key articles that reflect a positive benefit from a chaplaincy program
2) Any feedback, questions or parameters that they feel would be important in conducting the qualitative research to ensure that the results of the research are most effective.
My hope and prayer is that this research could be helpful in the establishment of many new chaplain programs around the country in the years to come.
Please respond in the Comment section below.
Chaplain Travis Maclay can also be reached at travismaclay@gmail.com
Chaplain Travis Maclay’s message to the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop Facebook Group, explaining his project:
Good morning from California!
I have had the great benefit of lurking on this forum for a few months and gleaning from the wisdom of many. By way of very brief introduction, I have been a volunteer chaplain with the Riverside Police Department for about six months.
Prior to moving to CA a little over two years ago, I lived in Austin and served as a chaplain with the Austin Police Department for a little over five years. In addition to my full-time job, the roles I play as a husband and father, serving our church, and serving as a volunteer LE chaplain, I also am a student working toward my PhD in leadership.
There is very little spare time these days, and sleep is secondary most days of the week, but I am really enjoying the learning & the discipline that comes from such a rigorous schedule. The primary purpose for my post is to seek feedback from the members of this group.
I have determined that if I am going to successfully spend the next two years doing significant research on a topic, it had better be something that motivates me if I am going to remain engaged in the research. To that end, I believe my research is going to be focused on law enforcement chaplaincy.
More specifically, I am interested in doing a qualitative analysis of the long-term benefits of the adoption of a chaplaincy program by a law enforcement agency. While my focus will be nationwide (US), it will be limited to the US only for this project. I anticipate interviewing 30-45 participants for my research. These interviews will range from LE chaplains to sworn officers to non-sworn personnel and upper administration.
I think I am going to structure the writing as a comparison between departments who do not have a chaplain program, those who have had one for less than 10 years, and those who have had established programs for greater than 10 years. My hope and prayer is that my finished work might serve as a catalyst to compel the leadership of a LE agency to consider the wellness benefits to their officers by implementing a chaplain program.
My two questions for the group ....
1) I would love any feedback you might offer at this point in the process. Any revelatory ideas that come to mind regarding this research project?
2) I am going to rely heavily on research that has already been done in this arena. While I certainly am doing my research homework, I would welcome anything of which you're aware or that you've read that you believe might be of relevance, importance or interest in this area.
If you have interest in keeping up to date on my research or possibly participating as an interviewee, let me know in the comments. I certainly do not plan to hijack this group going forward with frequent posts, but I am happy to keep anyone interested in the loop. You can also reach me by email at travismaclay at gmail dot com.
My many thanks in advance for any interest and feedback. Also, just a heads up, I do plan to cross-post this in a few different Facebook groups dealing with chaplaincy, so my apologies in advance if you are members of those groups and see it multiple times in your feed. Blessings to each of you!
Ways to Show Your Support for National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
On January 9th, 2020, partnering organizations in support of law enforcement officers nationwide will promote National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (L.E.A.D.).
In light of recent negativity directed toward law enforcement nationally, there is a need to show law enforcement officers that our citizens recognize the difficult and sometimes impossible career they have chosen, in public service to us all.
On January 9th of each year, we will call our nation’s citizens to action in support of law enforcement. Those citizens who appreciate law enforcement and are discouraged about the negative attention being given to law enforcement are encouraged to take time on January 9th to show their support.
Citizens can show their support in a number of ways:
• Wear blue clothing in support of law enforcement.
• Send a card of support to your local police department or state agency.
• Share a story about a positive law enforcement experience on social media.
• Ask children in your community to write letters in support of law enforcement.
• Participate in Project Blue Light - Proudly display your blue light in support of law enforcement.
• Organize an event or a rally in support of your law enforcement officers.
• Advertise your support through local media outlets/billboards.
• Post the public service announcement supplied by C.O.P.S. to your organization’s webpage or social media pages.
• Coordinate and/or participate in a Blue Blood Drive.
Most importantly, if you see a police officer, thank a police officer.
Don't Be A 'Wanna Be': A Police Chaplain’s Guide to Crossing the Police Line
Should police chaplains also be on the police force? Some words of caution from veteran police chaplain Dave Fair.
by Chaplain David Fair
A number of years ago while attending an ICPC training seminar, another chaplain and myself were sharing a ride-a-long in a unit from the host department.
Several patrol cars, including ours, had become involved in a car chase. One of the lead units had stopped the fleeing vehicle. As soon as the unit in which we were riding got to the scene, even before our car quit rolling, the other chaplain grabbed his flashlight and opened the car door.
Immediately the officer behind the wheel said, "Hey. Wait a minute!"
“The real problem comes if the chaplain fails, after he learns the ropes, to make a clear distinction between the difference of being a cop and being a chaplain.”
I guess as chaplains we have all done that or at least thought about it, especially in the beginning of our chaplain careers. Make no mistake about it, many chaplains go through a "rookie phase" just like officers do.
The real problem comes if the chaplain fails, after he learns the ropes, to make a clear distinction between the difference of being a cop and being a chaplain.
Certainly every chaplain has resolved, in his or her mind when the chips are down, a chaplain may have to take action and become involved in a situation when the officer needs assistance.
But there should be clear roles that a chaplain is not to interfere with a call in any way unless so requested by the officer. Most law enforcement chaplains have uniforms, badges and carry much of the same equipment as a regular officer.
But some chaplains, who have not received formal police training and are not commissioned officers, step over the line into the officer's role. This is dangerous for the reputation of the chaplain because they can be tagged a "Wanna Be" by the officers.
Over the course of his career, Dave Fair has worn many hats: Chaplain, City Council Member as well as various roles within the public safety community.
A chaplain should participate in special roles for which they have been trained.
Examples are:
family violence,
crisis negotiation,
traffic control,
or similar duties where an officer can be freed to tend to law enforcement business.
Should a chaplain desire to become a police officer, either regular or reserve, to expand their usefulness that's fine. But the chaplain must pay his dues.
This involves going to the police academy or some other approved means of training. Then the chaplain takes the state exam just like all other officers. Before a chaplain undertakes this course of action, he or she will want to discuss it with the Chief or Sheriff to make sure it meets with their approval.
What are the pros and cons of a chaplain also being a commissioned police officer?
It depends on the agency, the policies, and the duties. Rough estimates say about 30% of chaplains carry commissions. Many just go through the academy for the experience with no thought of actually becoming an officer -- just wanting to learn what the officer actually goes through.
The bottom line is either be a chaplain or a chaplain/officer, not a "Wanna Be".
Stay on the chaplain side of the fence, stay in our own lane, or pay your dues, get the training, and earn the right. There can be no short cuts. "Wanna Be" chaplains create distrust among officers. They may question what is the chaplain more interested in, the streets or the ministry?
““Wanna Be” chaplains create distrust among officers. They may question what is the chaplain more interested in, the streets or the ministry?”
In closing, even a chaplain/officer must be careful. We are there always first as chaplain and as officers second. Use the fact that you are an officer to your advantage. You will know what officers really are going through and it can increase your chance for ministry.
Frankly, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a chaplain only. It removes any doubt as to your motives.
Chaplain David Fair is a renowned crisis intervention and stress management specialist for emergency responders. He is the former director of chaplain services with the Brownwood Police Department, Texas Dept. of Public Safety’s Critical Incident Response Team, and the Texas Dept. of Health’s Critical Incident Stress Management Network.
Reprinted from the International Conference of Police Chaplain’s Website
Chaplain Bob Heath Named Chaplain of the Week
CHAPLAIN of the WEEK – BOB HEATH, Chaplain of the Joplin Police department for the past 27 years, an Ozark Christian College graduate 1979, and longtime OCC Bookstore Manager/Purchasing Agent, has been named "Chaplain of the Week."
THE ANNOUNCEMENT came from Dave Fair at ChaplainUSA.org: “We are pleased to announce this week's Police Chaplain Coffee Shop Chaplain of the Week is long time Chaplain and friend - Chaplain BOB HEATH. Bob is a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains having serving in several positions and presently the ICPC Treasurer/CFO.”
DAVE continued, “I know first hand, having served and worked with you, that you are a highly skilled and capable Police Chaplain. Sprinkle that with our love and compassion, and you are a Great Police Chaplain. I am proud to call our friend. Bob is a personal friend and mentor. Congratulations Bob, we are pleased to be awarding you this outstanding honor.”
Police Chaplain Coffee Shop is a Facebook Group for police chaplains, and retired police chaplains to share experiences and to recharge.
BOB began his work at OCC in 1976 and is the preaching minister at Diamond Grove Christian Church. In the past he has helped with the North Joplin Christian Church and Villa Heights Christian Church.
HEATHER and I are well acquainted with Bob and he is certainly a fine Christian gentleman. He is kind and helpful and a real asset to OCC and the Joplin Police Department.
DO OFFER YOUR CONGRATS TO BOB for this HONOR and for his work as Joplin Police Chaplain, his work at OCC and in local churches.
Time to Get the FEMA app
The FEMA App is the best option to receive emergency alerts and information so that you and your loved ones know what to do before, during and after disasters
The FEMA App is the best option to receive emergency alerts and information so that you and your loved ones know what to do before, during and after disasters. This simple and easy-to-use app provides safety notifications, emergency preparedness tips, and disaster resources.
The FEMA app is a comprehensive resource of tools and tips to keep you safe before, during, and after emergencies.
Receive weather-related alerts from the U.S. National Weather Service for up to five different locations. Get safety tips on what to do when disaster strikes.
Set reminders to practice emergency plans and refresh emergency supply kits. Upload and share your disaster photos to help out emergency managers. And locate open shelters along with where to talk to FEMA in person.
You can also download the app via text messaging:
If you have an Apple device: Text APPLE to 43362 (4FEMA)
If you have an Android device: Text ANDROID to 43362 (4FEMA)
More info: www.fema.gov/mobile-app
From Social Ghost to Holy Ghost: Surviving Police Retirement
Reprinted here by special arrangement with Dr. Scott Silverii, author and retired chief of police.
by Chief Scott Silverii, PhD (reprinted courtesy of the author)
Casper
Ghost was the word I once used to describe myself. After decades of serving the public and being at the core of making sense out of chaos, I’d become a social ghost. A non-factor in making a daily difference in people’s lives. We get this unrealistic image of what retirement is supposed to look like, and once we arrive, it’s like making hotel reservations at some scam vacation site.
Visit their website
This is especially true for cops who mash their identity to what they do, as opposed to who they are. In most cases, who they are becomes only what they do. There’s no wonder the life expectancy for cops after a 30 year retirement is a whopping 3 years.
I used to scoff at that notion, but the reality is, I can completely understand why. The health detriments associated with law enforcement leave many with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression, and horrible numbers in key mortality categories. Not to mention physical injuries and PTSD.
Escape
My first year on the outside was a nightmare. I ballooned up by about 70 pounds, and because I was battling severe despair, I couldn’t force myself to lose weight or exercise. Of course, that only made the darkness more daunting. I’d always been able to self-discipline and work my way out of tight spots, but this was different and unexpected. It was beyond my control.
Retirement came as a calling from God to serve Him. I had another career, an education, a wife and family and everything I thought I needed to make a smooth transition from my life behind the badge. What was missing?
I was what was missing. I was a ghost. Although I knew God wanted to use me in kingdom building, it wasn’t Scott the cop that He wanted. It was His son, Scott. When I’d stripped off the badge and uniform, I had no idea who I was.
Look Out
Life was falling apart and all I could do was crumble atop the people closest to me. My wife and kids were dodging emotional boulders, and ducking away from tumbling personality projectiles.
It wasn’t until Leah took the lead and insisted we see a Christian counselor that the momentum shifted. Like a toddler to the doctor, I begrudgingly went, but my goal wasn’t healing. It was to out manipulate the “manipulator” therapist who was in no way qualified to tell me what to do. Right?
There’s no wonder the life expectancy for cops after a 30 year retirement is a whopping 3 years.
I recall sitting on his office couch in my oiliest black motorcycle boots, weather-tattered jeans, and one-size too small Harley Davidson t-shirt. My arms were crossed so tight across my chest I could hardly breath. I was the master interrogator, and this chess match was about to begin. I’d say what he wanted to hear, and he’d praise me while encouraging my wife to do a better job. Right?
He warned that if we came with an unteachable spirit then there was nothing he could do. My spirit wasn’t unteachable, it was just wounded and poised for attack like an injured animal unaware that help had arrived. Within minutes, I folded like a house of cards.
Scar Scraping
Over the next year, the process was similar to treating a burn victim. Old scars had to be scrapped off so new growth could occur. Scar scraping meant opening up to my life long before law enforcement. A dysfunctional home, a dominant parent, verbal and sexual abuse and the addictions that became necessary to cope with an absence of human compassion, validation and love.
In addition to the old unhealed baggage, there were the inevitable effects of law enforcement. I knew the symptoms of PTSD, and I also knew that seeking help while on the job might’ve meant a career kiss of death. I allowed the dysfunction to become my new normal. Unfortunately, while we pride ourselves in taking control of situations, this wasn’t one that surrendered to our authority. In reality, it manifested itself into what controlled me.
The beauty from these ashes was that I never once went back to feeling like the old me. That former me was shrouded in the darkness of pain, shame and guilt. The new growth defined the new me. The new me was revealed to be the same me that God actually wanted in service to His kingdom.
Wilderness
Similar to what God’s people experienced when they escaped the brutal captivity in Egypt and wondered in the wilderness for 40 years, we all experience a season of trial before a promise land breakthrough. This season isn’t to punish us or abandon us. The transition season is to break off the old things that haunt and inhibit us from moving forward and into a new, blessed season in life.
God didn’t need a chief of police to protect and command His kingdom. He mercifully choose me; His child to serve Him by serving others. As His son, I understand that I’m not defined by my past as a social ghost, but I am restored anew by the Holy Ghost.
Be Prepared
“We’re used to structure, struggle and motion. Make sure that you don’t just sit still. ”
If you are preparing for, or have entered into retirement or separation from a first responder’s career, please be aware of the transition. You can’t keep leaning into a raging wind and expect not to fall flat when it stops. Be prepared and take precautions. Seek peer help or professional counseling. The physical and health effects are challenging enough, but coupled with PTSD, identity dissociation and depression, your golden years post-professional service can become an unending darkness.
We’re used to structure, struggle and motion. Make sure that you don’t just sit still. A sedentary lifestyle can kill faster than bringing a knife to a gunfight. Take a job that interest you, or volunteer. Exercise, travel, and focus on making friends who have never worked as a first responder. It’s vital to your mental health to know folks who thrive in a civilian-style life.
The white-picket fence life isn’t all that bad! You spent your life rescuing others, now is the time to save yourself.
This article is from The Bro Code
The Bro Code Series celebrates manhood, masculinity and most importantly, what it is to live the blessed life of a Godly alpha male. Each book in the series was written to encourage and mentor Brothers to know the awesome side of being man.
Share this article with other brothers and Invite them to connect on Brick Breakers Men’s Ministry page on Facebook.
About the author
Dr. Scott and Leah Silverii
Scott Silverii, a retired chief of police, who holds a PhD in cultural anthropology and is working towards his Doctor of Ministry at The King's University, is a nationally renowned speaker and author of over forty books.
Leah, a dynamic presenter, is a thirty-time New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty titles.
To learn more about their speaking engagements, contact at contact@bluemarriage.com
Living the Chaplain’s Code in the Digital Age by Chaplain David Fair
Chaplains may be our last hope for reclaiming our instinct to connect.
Eyes on a phone and pods in your ears make us detach from reality. It’s a big problem.
Recently I met my daughters and granddaughters at a nearby restaurant.
Throughout the meal all I saw were the tops of heads. Everyone from my seven year old granddaughter to my adult daughter was either texting away, e-mailing or searching the net.
I was finally able to engage everyone in a conversation with the promise that I would eventually say something crazy enough for them to Tweet and/or Facebook about later.
We live in the age of high tech, instant gratification. Kids on computers starting at age 3. Before you know it, they are X-boxing, Twittering, Facebooking and experiencing life through 3-D TV.
Of course it not just the younger generation, all ages have been seduced by the wonders of modern technology.
I submit to you there is no way I as a chaplain can live the Chaplain Code in a Digital Age without turning off my cell phone and looking you right in the eye.
One of the tenants of the Chaplain’s Code is the ministry of presence. A chaplain doesn’t have to say or do anything. Just be present with you in your time of need. You sense I am there with you and even though we aren’t speaking with our voices we are talking with our hearts.
There is no way I can be present with you through an email or a text message. There is no way we can have that heart to heart conversation unless we are both fully present in the here and now. Present in the same room face to face.
Let me challenge you to do five things:
Set aside one hour a day to turn off your cell phone.
Resist the urge to check your email, text a friend, or look at Facebook. It will be difficult. Enjoy the silence. Be present in the moment right where you are.
Listen to the sounds around you. Actually hear what you have never heard. Enjoy the silence. Practice being present in the moment.
The next time you are together with family or friends take out your cell phone and make a big production of turning it off. See the surprised faces.
Then enjoy the moment. Learn the ministry of presents. We all chaplain someone everyday in someway.