NPR: Officers Can Turn To Police Chaplains In Time Of Need

Heard on All Things Considered on NPR:

Throughout this week, many people have turned to social media, vigils and demonstrations to share their grief. But what about police officers? We thought their chaplains might have some answers, so we called Mark Clements. He’s president of the International Conference of Police Chaplains. He was at a training seminar in Albuquerque when we reached him, and he told us about the support police officers need from people like him.

MARK CLEMENTS: They have great peer support networks. But very commonly they will come to us, and they’ll talk about their fears. They’ll talk about issues and problems in their families, with teenagers, in their marriage. They’ll talk about affairs, they’ll talk about alcohol issues and things like that. They know they can come to us. They know it’s private. They know it’s privileged. They know it’s confidential.

And they won’t even go to their own minister because he doesn’t understand me, he doesn’t understand what I do. You know what this life is all about. You know the unique stresses and the things that challenge us the most. We can talk to you. Sometimes, to them, that chaplain is the only person they can go to.

Read or listen to this segment here.