Voices of Faith: Police chaplains are God’s agents

2 Timothy 3:1-5 tells us that terrifying times will come in the last days: Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.

According to the FBI, most people will be the victim of a criminal act in the U.S. The Disaster Center, which keeps up with crime statistics, reports that there were over 9 million crimes committed in the U.S. in 2014, and nearly 2 million of those were violent acts against another person.

Let’s just consider that there have been 142 school shootings since Sandy Hook in December 2012, and since 9/11 there have been nearly 100 acts of domestic terrorism in the U.S. alone. Some of those acts were against members of the law enforcement community.

So what motivates a person to go into a career in law enforcement? Is it morality, principles or the moral code? It is a blessing to have good people who are willing to serve and protect, and we need good men and women who are willing to defend the innocent, to help those who are victims of crimes. We need good men and women who are willing to serve their neighbors, communities and promote integrity and ensure the safety and security of others.

When you see a police officer do you view him as a servant of God? Romans 13:1 certainly does. It teaches that God established them as his servants. Yes, the same men and women in blue who put their lives on the line daily by serving and protecting Chattanooga from harm and danger and at the same time facing the possibility of injury or death. They are our heroes but, just like any hero such as firefighter and military personnel, our police officers hurt, too.

Unique to officers are continuous situations which place them on high alert, which can create mental and emotional burdens for the officer and his or her family. Officers encounter multiple stressors in any given day: rejection from the community, expectations of the job and having to make split-second decisions at a moment’s notice.

So there is a need for the officer to express his stressors and problems that he or she faces, but most officers don’t want to burden their family or friends. Yes, it’s true that they can talk about it among themselves, but their peers are also encountering the same stressors. They can speak with their minister, but the minister may not be acquainted with the demands of the job. There needs to be someone who understands the circumstances and situations of their day-to-day duties. That’s where the police chaplain comes in.

Police chaplains at the Chattanooga Police Department are well-trained and understand the challenges police officers encounter. They are called on to minister to the officers and provide empathy, objectivity and offer suggestions to help officers decompress the stress of their day.

The law enforcement chaplain is a first responder to the officers and victims of crimes in the community. They assist officers during ridealongs, and often are asked by the officer to meet the spiritual or emotional needs of victims affected by an incident the officer is working. The police chaplain serves the police department and the community as God’s agent. He or she must have a shepherd’s heart and concern for the officer and victim no matter the circumstance or situation.

With the breakdown of families in our present society and the unwillingness for some to accept responsibility for their choices, Chattanooga police officers do an exceptional job addressing the social ills that plague our community. So why not offer a word of encouragement the next time you see one of them? Better yet, why not offer a word of encouragement today?

Tuwan Ussery is lead chaplain of the Chattanooga Police Department, a ministry of 16 volunteer chaplains serving officers and the staff at the CPD. He can be reached at 423-643-5714 or by mail at Chattanooga Police Department, Chaplain’s Office, 3410 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37406.