Today, more than ever, law enforcement agencies need religious guidance, counseling and assistance to officers, their families, and their communities. No one is confronted with more situations that demoralize and create emotional, mental and spiritual burdens than is the law enforcement officer. These burdens can also effect the officer’s family.

Each day, a law enforcement officer is faced with potentially dangerous situations as he/she comes into contact with the baser elements of society. The officer may have to make split-second decisions that are just and right. Many times, an officer has a need to express his or her frustrations and problems to one who fully understands the circumstances of the law enforcement world. An officer may need to discuss his/her problems with someone who understands what he/she is up against, yet is detached enough not to be emotionally involved or in a position that might effect the officer’s career.

On call twenty-four hours a day, the law enforcement chaplain stands ready to respond to any given situation to offer assistance, spiritual guidance, comfort and support.

As a recently retired police sergeant with 33 years of law enforcement experience, I have worked in almost every area of police work. During the last few years of my career, I was one of two departmental police chaplains.

I have been exposed to a number of crisis situations resulting in police officers and / or their family members approaching me to ask for help in dealing with problems ranging from birth control to infidelity, to the serious illness of a child. Police Officer’s like anyone else, need to vent. They need to talk to someone who is compassionate and shows concern for their welfare, someone they can trust, someone to whom they can confide. They do not like confiding to someone outside the “Brotherhood”, but they will share a problem with one of their own; someone who has been there and understands a police officer’s perspective. Unfortunately, the counsel received is not always of a positive, constructive nature. A police chaplain who has actually served as a police officer is frequently the answer in a situation like this. In addition, chaplains often serve in areas not associated with problems, but in preventative actions as well as ceremonial ones.

I am a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains, working toward a Senior Chaplain level. The conference provides continuous education both locally and nationally. I am well versed in the Bible, and I have been active in the local church for over 24 years, serving in various capacities from Deacon to Sunday School Teacher. I have also taken classes at the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois. I have a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice/ Social Sciences from Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan. I have been married for 32 years and I am the father of two married daughters. In 1996, I donated a kidney to one of my daughter’s who was in kidney failure. My wife Joyce and I live in Howell, and we are members of Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church, in Brighton, Michigan.

I know how “the job” can effect a marriage, fatherhood, friendships and attitudes, as well as measures that can help an officer deal with the frustrations constructively. I do not claim to have all the answers to the problems that may arise, but with God’s help I am willing to be of service (Philippians 4:13).

Dennis Palka 

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