A Ministry Of Care To Law Enforcement Officers

 Police Shomreem Ministries

Ministry Description and Purpose:  Police Shomreem Ministries is a ministry of care that works along with local public safety agencies to liaison between local ministers and the agency in need of chaplaincy services. This ministry will partnership with local Judeo-Christian ministers  to volunteer their services at local public safety agencies who need chaplaincy Services.

Our ministry also serves with several disaster relief agencies who need disaster relief emotional and spiritual care chaplaincy services.  Most of our chaplains are trained in disaster relief chaplaincy.  We work with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief of the North American Mission Board and the Illinois Baptist State Association.  We also work and train with the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services.  

This ministry is dedicated to serving G-d by serving those who serve their communities.  This ministry is dedicated to the spiritual and psychological welfare of all public safety officers, support personnel, public safety family members and the citizens that those public safety officers serve.  G-d has appointed shepherds to watch over the flock since the beginning of recorded history (Isaiah 62:6; Jeremiah 6:17; Romans 13:1).  This ministry is dedicated to supporting the officers, support personnel and citizens that they serve, with a foundation of sound moral and spiritual grounding.  We also dedicate this ministry to those who have given their lives to protect others and to their families, friends, and co-workers.    

Police Shomreem Ministries is an independent Judeo-Christian non-profit religious entity, registered as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We minister directly to the chaplaincy needs of the emergency services personnel and citizens in the communities we serve.  We go where we are needed.  We go where the crisis is, at the time it is needed most.

Police Shomreem Ministries is organized for religious purposes.  It will serve primarily the Northeastern Illinois communities through public safety, law enforcement and emergency services chaplaincy.  Police Shomreem Ministries is headquartered in Lake County Illinois.   Police Shomreem Ministries incorporated under articles of incorporation of the general not for profit corporation act of the State of Illinois.

Many of our chaplains are members of and attend trainings given by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, the American Association of Christian Counselors, the International Conference of Police Chaplains, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services.  Our chaplains attend specialized trainings with all of these disaster relief agencies. 

Each incident that we respond to is a disaster to every person who is experiencing that incidents.  Our purpose is to bring a ministry of presence and referral resources to those who feel alone in times of great trouble.

Below is an explanation of why we focus our service in Public Safety Law Enforcement Chaplaincy.

Why Public Safety Law Enforcement Chaplaincy?  

When G-d calls we must choose if we will answer that call.

Then I heard the voice of the L-rd, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?"  Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" [Isaiah 6:8-9 NASU]

When G-d said to us who will go.  We said here am I. Send me.

Here is why we serve in this way.

True Homeland Security is supporting those who act with authority over others, to function with sound Biblical truth and good morals.  This helps them to serve with the righteousness of the one that has appointed them with the authority over the flock (Jeremiah 6:17; Romans 13:1).  Law enforcement officers and the support personnel that they work with witness events, actions and the effect of a side of society that no person should witness.  The effect that this has on their emotional ability to function is tremendous.  Psalms 121 tell us that G-d is the one who can help.  

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. [Isaiah 62:6 NASU]

And I set watchmen over you, saying,  'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.' [Jeremiah 6:17 NASU]

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from G-d, and those which exist are established by G-d. [Romans 13:1  NASU]

My soul waits for the L-rd more than the watchmen  for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. [Psalms 130:6 NASU]

G-d sets watchmen to watch over us.  The people who we call Police Officers are the watchmen that are spoken about in the Bible.  Peace is found in having a relationship with the One Who created everything.  G-d called these people to serve us even to the point of risking their lives to protect us.  Homeland security is found in having sound and grounded Police Officers who are fair, have good moral fiber and sound judgment.  

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?  My help comes from the L-RD, Who made heaven and earth.  He will not allow your foot to slip;  He who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.  The L-RD is your keeper; The L-RD is your shade on your right hand.  The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The L-RD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.  The L-RD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.   [Psalms 121 NASU]

When we give a law enforcement officer a weapon, a badge and the authority over others, we should maintain a support system to help them function soundly within the guidelines of good moral conduct.  Power and authority can be used for good or for evil.  Officers experience the normal trials of life plus the influence of the type of incidents and actions of others on the streets.  The job is both fulfilling and heartbreaking.  The point is to help those who work in law enforcement avoid being broken by those experiences that no human should witness.  The function of a chaplain in law enforcement is to help those persons affected by the unhealthy experiences of the law enforcement job. 

One example of officers needing help is the loss of the two officers during the aftermath of Katrina.  Two officers took their own lives while experiencing the negative effect of an incident that they were assigned to duty.  They were trained and experienced law enforcement officers.  They witnessed devastation that took them to a point of desperation that lead to the inability to cope.  There was no chaplain around that they could go to for crisis intervention.  There was probably a problem in their lives that lead up to the point where they gave up.  We understand that chaplaincy is not the final answer.  Chaplaincy is a tool to use to help build a foundation of trust where an officer can go to talk it out.  A functioning chaplaincy program may have built a foundation of trust,  support and prevention.  A chaplain in the area to debrief these officers may have been the intervention needed to stop them from committing suicide.   A relationship with G-d by the help of a chaplain may have been a deterrent to taking their lives.  

Law enforcement as a profession is one of the highest in suicide, divorce and employment termination prior to pension.  The incidence of family related problems is also high in the families of law enforcement officers. Our goal is the help by being there to mentor, counsel comfort and advise those who are in need.  

More police officers die by their own hand than are killed in the line of duty (Dr. L. Miller 2005).  Divorce doubles the chance that a man will take his own life, but it has almost no effect on the suicide rates of women, says a nine-year study (Sociologist Augustine J. Kposowa).

According to the National Association of Police Chiefs, approximately 300 police officers per year commit suicide in the United States. That is twice the number that are killed in the line of duty.   Lewis, Claude. "Police Suicide is an Alarming Problem Rarely Discussed Publicly". Tears of a cop. 01 Sept. 2004 .

“Ten percent of all officers who commit suicide, commit suicide when they have not been drinking.”  “Police officers deal with things that normal people do not have to deal with, nor do they want to. We see pain, anger, sadness, and very often death. We see all of these things and are asked to respond, not with normal human emotion, but with strength and stoicism. Most police officers feel that if they let their fellow officers show that a particular call got to them emotionally they will be ridiculed. This is not always false. Officers can be very hard on each other. We see joking and making fun of each other as a way to relieve stress. The end result of that tactic is that the stress is not gone it is only temporarily disguised.”  (“Officer Down”  by Officer David Kellis)  

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Suicide Surveillance, 1970-1980. (1985).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Regional variations in suicide rates—United States 1990–1994, August 29, 1997. MMWR 1997;46(34):789-92.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (producer). Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) (2004).

Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent suicide. Washington (DC): Department of Health and Human Services; (1999).

Krug EG, Dahlberg LL, Mercy JA, Zwi AB, Lozano R, editors. “World Report On Violence And Health” 2004 May. 

Unfortunately many officers deal with a hard day or a critical incident by drinking it away. In regards to police officers and alcohol Dr. Ellen Kirshman says,  "Hazardous habits such as a need for emotional control combined with a disposition mentality - solve the problem and move on - make cops eager to get rid of their problems rather than face them or work through them.”

Though statistics on the topic are very hard to compile, it has been said that 90% of officers that commit suicide are drinking heavily at the time of their death.  (Turvey, Brent E. "Police Officers: Control, Hopelessness, & Suicide”  Corpus-delecti. 01 Sept. 2004.)

NBC NEWS December 26, 2004 — The NYPD is one of the largest police forces in the world, with nearly 40,000 cops, 20,000 patrol cars, about 150 auto mechanics — and just nine therapists for officers with psychological problems. That’s not even one therapist for every 4,500 officers. Compare that to other big cities — one therapist for every 1,000 officers in Los Angeles, one for every 1,600 in Chicago, and one for nearly every 800 in Houston. And most cops work in departments with under 50 officers — for them, there’s often no psychologist at all

Annually, America looses about 150 law enforcement officers in various line of duty deaths. In Stuart Gellman's book, “COPS, The Men And Women Behind The Badge”, (a study of a selected group of Tucson, Az. officers), Gellman says for each officer killed in the line of duty, three others commit suicide, dozens develop heart disease and peptic ulcers, and three out of every four are divorced. These casualties of our own emotions are staggering.

“80% of officers involved in shootings have nightmares related to their incident. 10% have a variation dream in which they dream of being in different shooting incidents. Those that dream of being killed are probably experiencing some form of guilt, whether imagined or real.”  “After The Gun Goes Of “ by Keith Bettinger

“In a police force of more than 30,000, suicides among officers have been on the rise. Fourteen uniformed men killed themselves last year. Others attempted suicide but were thwarted by alert officers who intervened in time. A recent study revealed that New York City officers kill themselves at a rate of 29 per 100,000 a year. The rate of suicide in the general population is 12 per 100,000. Most of the victims are young males with no record of misconduct who shoot themselves while off duty. Nationally, twice as many cops - about 300 annually - commit suicide as are killed in the line of duty, according to a study by the National Association of Police Chiefs.”   “Police Suicide Is An Alarming Problem Rarely Discussed Publicly” by Claude Lewis, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may come on silently. It is a very progressive illness that becomes more severe year after year if left untreated. It will eventually consume those victims who have experienced trauma beyond what their minds are able to comprehend or deal with at one time.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:

If an officer experience the symptoms below, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may be starting to show its early signs.  

The citizens in the community where the law enforcement officer serves are also in need of chaplaincy services.  There are numerous ways that a chaplain can help those who suffer as victims and offenders.  There are times when the officer needs to make notification of the loss of a loved one to a citizen.  This is a hard task if you have no training or experience.  Chaplains are equipped to help with these types of notifications.   

Police officers suffer the effects of job related disorders.  The following are some samples of those disorders:

Police officers can suffer from injuries on the job.

Police officers can suffer from stress related disorders.

Police officers can suffer from disorders like acute remorse.

Police officers can suffer from anger and temper management problems.

Police officers can suffer from medical conditions related directly to stress.

Police officers can suffer from substance abuse related to alcohol and drugs.

Police officers can suffer from sleep disorders related to shift change or rotation.

Police officers can suffer from medical disorders from pathogens and bio-hazards exposure.

Police officers can suffer from the same negative experience stresses and disorders that victims suffer.  

Police officers witness things that no one should witness.  These officers are held to a higher accountability due to their chosen profession.  They fight the war against evil.  The police officers in our communities stand in the gap, protecting us day by day.  When an officer takes the job he/she knows that they may die to protect another person from harm.  The family members of police officers know that they can loose their loved one, each and every day that they go to work.  These stresses have an effect on the police officers family.   Police families can grow to be dysfunctional as a direct result of the stresses related to the police profession.  Those police officers who are filled up with too many of the bad experience of the job, can bring the problems of the job home to their families.  These afflictions are also seen in the police support personnel.

Some officers report for duty defeated by the stresses of the job.  Working for a police department is working for a paramilitary organization.  Like military personnel, people who work in law enforcement are fighting a war against evil and the conduct related to evil.  Police officers are fighting a war every day that they come to work.   Some officers report for duty even though they are walking wounded.  Some are suffering from physical injuries and some are suffering from psychological injuries. 

Like military chaplains, law enforcement chaplains should be in the trenches with the troops.  Police chaplains can be there to help the officer, support personnel or victim vent out the pressure that builds up.  Police chaplains are held to the same and higher accountability that medical personnel are held.  The privacy and confidentiality of the person that they are ministering to is paramount to develop trust and an open dialogue of truth.  

Placing a bandage on the walking wounded could cover up an infection that can fester to the officer’s destruction.  Helping the officer heal from the wound will make him or her function efficiently.  The battle moves on. Every soldier (police officer) is desperately needed on the front line.

We at Police Shomreem Ministries are charged to help in a time of need.  Our goal is to answer that call and help support law enforcement officers to function and survive.  We will work hand in hand with the law enforcement agencies and the citizens in their communities.

Our goal is to help keep the homeland secure, by supporting those who fight the good fight.

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.  He will not allow your foot to slip;  He who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.  The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand.  The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.  The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever."   [Psalms 121 NASU]  

The above information is common to the chaplaincy profession and some of the above information is from ministry publications and training material with a common goal.  The information on this page is available to those who wish to serve the ones who serve and protect us.

This ministry does not directly work under nor is it directly associated  with any of the local, state or national Shomrim Society lodges.  We do however strongly support these associations of Jewish police officers.

Copyright © 2005 by Police Shomreem Ministries