Police chaplains have stepped up to support our law enforcement heroes as they face unprecedented challenges and rising suicide rates, providing critical spiritual and emotional care.
Dr. Saundra Cherry of the Newport News Police Department, one of about 1,300 chaplains nationwide, explains why faith is sorely needed on the front lines.
“There’s a lot of war, and you have to be spiritually sensitive to the Holy Spirit to see it,” Dr. Cherry said, “and to go into it when you see it, you have to be present to see it and start praying, not necessarily talking about it.”
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Dr Cherry has served as a volunteer chaplain on call 24/7 since 2009. But rather than evangelism, Dr Cherry says the chaplain’s primary role is to be with police officers during their most difficult times, providing vital spiritual care, emotional support and crisis intervention.
“So we as chaplains have the opportunity, even at the beginning of a recruit’s journey, to tell them, ‘You’re not a robot. You’re a human being. You’re going to go through things.’ It’s hard work,” Dr. Cherry said.
Police resignations are slowly recovering from the record levels of the past four years, but departments are still seeing officers quitting at a faster rate than they are hiring new officers, according to a new survey from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
The reasons cited include an increase in resignations and retirements, which have led to a decline of about 5% over the past three years, plus increased scrutiny.
“Body cameras have put police in a tough position where they’re hesitant to take action because they don’t want to be charged or sued or lose their home,” said Chris Amos, a former Norfolk police officer who is now the pastor of Christ First Fellowship Church.
Amos knows firsthand the importance of having a chaplain on staff, given the weight of lives placed on police officers’ shoulders.
“People forget that they’re human beings just like everyone else,” Amos said. “They deal with national issues and crises, and then they go home and have to deal with their own issues.”
The weight of this is evident in the suicide rate among police officers, which has been on the rise again since peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to First Help & CNA Corporation, approximately 184 police officers have taken their own lives each year since 2016, totaling about 1,300.
Bobby Kipper, a former Newport News police officer who now works for the National Center for Community Violence Prevention, recalled responding to a case in which two children were killed within a 10-day period.
“I had to pull the baby out of the lake, but he didn’t survive,” Kipper said. “I tried CPR on him, but I couldn’t. Then within 10 days, another ‘child death’ happened. I started to question my faith.”
Kipper says tragic situations like these are why police chaplains are essential to provide spiritual care and emotional support to both officers and the community. Kipper says keeping a journal also helped him recover from trauma on the job. His notes eventually became a daily devotional book for service members on the front line. Roll Call: A Health Book for OfficersIt highlights the importance of addressing mental and spiritual health in the field.”
“I don’t think there are many officers out there who haven’t experienced personal or professional trauma from something they’ve witnessed,” Kipper said. “The question is, are they willing to acknowledge that and address it?”
Chaplain Cherry understands that transparency has only recently been offered to officers, given the history of stigma surrounding mental health-related trauma. Police-One case studies have shown that a chaplain’s presence is essential after a traumatic event, and that having chaplains on the force can address mental health issues, reduce suicide rates and improve officer retention.
“Without Christ, I wouldn’t be a police officer,” Amos said, “And the majority of people do that every day. I wouldn’t be a police officer without Christ.”
Dr Cherry said a faith-driven calling is what keeps these less-honoured heroes grounded in service to law enforcement.
