The primary focus of this course is to provide the students with the knowledge to be able to effectively interact with law enforcement and be the most help in the office and in the field. The law enforcement Chaplain is a huge asset to the law enforcement officer, whether it is having them at a call where a person has just encountered a loss or tragic event; death notification; mass disaster; or just there for the law enforcement officer personal needs.
For the Chaplain to be most effective, they need to know what is and what is not acceptable for them to do when law enforcement is interacting with the public. In a case where the officer is conducting an interview, the Chaplain can be a great source of comfort for a person; however, if they interject at an inappropriate time, the interruption may cause an interview to be lost.
The Chaplain Integration Course will guide the Chaplin through an interactive process how they play an integral part of the law enforcement community. They will learn nuances of the law enforcement community to include the hierarchy of the police/sheriff department, EMS, and the Coroner’s Office; religious support versus peer support; common religious practices pertaining to death; the daily life of a police officer; and other events such as an officer-involved shooting or death; and operating in a family assistance center in a mass disaster. Other topics will include child abuse mandate laws and confidentiality practices as they pertain to law enforcement or acting as an agent of law enforcement.