By Cathy Logg
Herald Writer
When law enforcement officers are stressed by the pressures of their jobs, they need someone to turn to who understands without second-guessing them.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies have several choices. Three area pastors serve as police chaplains to work not only with the sheriff’s staff, but also with the public the deputies deal with when tragedies occur.
They don’t just respond when things go wrong. The chaplains often ride with officers on patrol, which gives them a chance to talk in between calls.
"A lot of people don’t realize that police officers are people," said Michael Jernigan, one of the chaplains. "They’ve got spouses and families. Difficult situations hit them where they live. They bottle up emotions."
Those conversations on patrol give officers an outlet, he said, adding that the discussions are "very close, very confidential."
If deputies need or want more in-depth support, the chaplains can refer them to counselors. They’re there for the officers as a friend as well as a legal counselor.
"If we can help them, we help the whole department and the community," chaplain Rick Long said.
They’re also available for weddings and funerals for departmental personnel, and often are there when officers’ children are born.
The third chaplain, Dan Kellogg, approached sheriff’s officials about starting the program about eight years ago. He and a half-dozen others worked for about six months to develop it. Each pastor had to undergo a background check and polygraph test.
In September 1993, they launched the program with Kellogg and Long. Two years ago, Jernigan, a police chaplain for 17 years who also serves in King County, joined them.
"It has created sort of a soft touch for the sheriff’s office," Long said. "It communicates to the community that the sheriff’s office is able to reach out and interface more than a department."
"We’re often a go-between between the officer and the family in a crisis scenario," Kellogg said.
The chaplains help deputies break the news to families when someone dies as a result of a crime, suicide, traffic crash or other tragedy. They also comfort the relatives, help them to begin to grieve and often refer them to other sources for ongoing support.
"Always, with death, if you don’t talk about it, it will bother you," Jernigan said. "But especially when kids are involved."
Kellogg said suicides are the most difficult cases because "they leave so much pain behind and they’re so hard to understand."
"We give them an opportunity to talk about the person and their feelings," Jernigan said. "It’s important to get the feelings out, and we’re a nonthreatening presence."
Last summer, they helped and prayed with the family of two young women who became lost at Wallace Falls State Park but later were found safe.
"The family felt we did a really good job of taking care of them," Kellogg said.
Although they’re pastors, they don’t impose religion on people who don’t want it. They pray with families that want to, however, they’re not there to be preachers but to support people.
"When we’re out on the streets, we’re nondenominational," Jernigan said. "I’ve been asked to do last rites. Sometimes it’s a difficult line to walk."
"Very rarely does anyone turn down a prayer," Kellogg said. "Even if they’re not sure there’s a God, they’re not afraid to ask if he’s around. I think the debriefing process helps anybody. We state the facts, talk about how they feel, their feelings about the feelings they have, and where they go from here. If you’re willing to work through the process, that will bring healing."
Long is pastor at Atonement Free Lutheran Church in Arlington. He serves the sheriff’s north precinct. Jernigan is an active visiting minister and a member of Edgewood Baptist Church in Edmonds. He serves the south and east precincts. Kellogg is pastor of Gold Creek Community Church in the Silver Firs area. He serves the south and east precincts and the sheriff’s administrative staff at the Snohomish County Courthouse.
"The range of what we deal with is just amazing," Jernigan said, adding that chaplains can’t be there for someone’s whole healing process, which can take months or years. That’s why they connect people with support groups or personal pastors.
While chaplains serve the department, they remain separate.
"They provide us with some support — give us an ID, allow us to ride with the officers," Jernigan said. "But we’re not accountable to the department."
The program is supervised by a committee made up of officers and sergeants. The sheriff’s administrative staff is purposely not included.
Those who have benefited from their help say the chaplains are a blessing.
"Just their mere presence at a search and rescue or crime scene is a comfort to all of us," sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said. "They offer compassion, reassurance and understanding."
You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437
or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.
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