DPS certifies 86 chaplains to provide law enforcement emotional, mental, spiritual support

The Arkansas Department of Public Safety has certified 86 new chaplains who are trained to provide emotional, mental, and spiritual support to law enforcement officers.

By: Autumn Foltz
KATV

Troopers face daily pressures when out patrolling state highways.

The Arkansas Department of Public Safety has certified 86 new chaplains who are trained to provide emotional, mental, and spiritual support to law enforcement officers.

"If you look at law enforcement throughout their career, they'll average between 600 to 1000 major traumatic incidents. So, we as human beings are just not built to handle that amount of trauma over time,” said Dr. Christopher Clem, Department of Public Safety leadership development unit, research and planning director.

Clem helped design a 40-hour training program, which focuses on everything from stress and burnout to death notifications, peer support, and family care.

"We wanted to train the chaplains to where they could come alongside the officers and be with them and help in the death notification process,” said Clem.

“Interestingly, they not only help the family or whoever we're communicating with in that moment, but they also help the officer."

Now, many of the newly trained chaplains will return to their communities, partnering with local police and sheriff’s departments.

Clem said the program isn’t just about responding to tragedy, it’s about building resilience and making sure those who serve can succeed.

"Behind every badge is a father, a mother, a wife, a son, a grandparent. These are people, and they're doing a very difficult job. It's really, we like to call it, a call in, called into the law enforcement profession. And we don't want people to just survive the profession. We want them to thrive,” said Clem.

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