April 19, 2011 California police officer also serves as chaplain www.privateofficer.com
Sonoma County CA April 19 2011 As a police officer, Katie Close is grateful for the volunteer chaplains she can call upon to help her in a crisis situation, such as comforting someone whose loved one has died.
Now, Close is returning that favor.
The 28-year-old Healdsburg police officer recently graduated from the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Service training in Sonoma County.
She is the first active-duty police officer to become a chaplain in the program’s 12-year history.
As dedicated as they are to public service, not many cops would want to volunteer on their off-time to be a chaplain, given the stresses they already encounter on the beat.
But Close said it’s important to her to show support for her fellow officers. And she said going through the training to become a chaplain felt “therapeutic.”
“I never knew there were people who were so dedicated to wanting to help law enforcement officers,” she said.
Every law enforcement agency in Sonoma County can call upon a chaplain at any time of day or night, 365 days a year.
There currently are about 65 chaplains, each of whom underwent six months of training before being added to the list. Close, like other chaplains, will be on-call for two 24-hour periods every month — one as the primary contact and the other as back-up.
Warren Hays, the chaplaincy service’s executive director, said he wasn’t sure at first that an active-duty police officer would be a good fit for the program.
“An officer is in a mode of investigative work, which is very, very focused,” he said. “Frankly, I think an officer needs to avoid any kind of emotion or trauma in that situation. That’s why we have chaplains.”
But he said he’s been impressed with Close, and predicts she will be an “outstanding chaplain.”
Close grew up mainly in Occidental and graduated from El Molino High School in 1999.
She said she had an early interest in public service but didn’t know how to express it until a ride-along with a Sonoma County Animal Control Officer inspired her to become one.
She held that job until a 2006 attack by three pit bulls led her to re-evaluate her career choice.
Close went through the police academy at Santa Rosa Junior College and in 2008 she was offered a job in Healdsburg.
She and her canine partner — Dasha — work the swing shift on weekends from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The demands of her job and being married would seem to give Close a good excuse to devote her off-hours to herself. But in addition to being a chaplain, Close mentors a girl as a volunteer for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Sonoma County.
“Sometimes I really have a lot on my plate, but I feel a desire to do all this stuff,” she said. “I’m interested in it and there’s no better time than now.”
In addition to responding to emergencies, chaplains participate in the Every 15 Minutes anti-drunk driving program at high schools and also respond as a team to campus tragedies.
Hays said chaplains respond to about 160 calls annually. The non-profit organization has an annual budget of $45,000 that is raised through donations and fundraisers.
Hays said the next training for chaplains is in September. He can be reached at 479-0201. People can also learn about the program, sign up as volunteers or donate money.
Source:Press Democrat
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