The Collegedale Police Department has come a long way since the agency’s chaplain program was first established. Largely an unstaffed position for many years, the program was brought back on-line nearly two decades ago with a stronger emphasis on officer support, however, as the years waned so did the mission of officer wellness.
New life was breathed into the program when Jack Sapp became chief of police in 2021 and he made officer wellness a priority for his administration.
“When I became chief, we were dealing with public distrust and misunderstanding and we desperately needed a program that would be able to help our officers shoulder that burden and remain effective at their jobs,” said Chief Sapp.
Policies and standards were created that better defined the chaplains’ role in the department. The good works of the agency’s chaplains, past and present, began paying off and officers started relying more on the services that the program provided.
Soon the chaplain program began to influence more than just the Collegedale officers. They started to become a larger community outreach tool. Reaching out and helping the less fortunate in the community, sitting in hospital waiting rooms with family members in crisis, providing encouragement and resources when needed, the Collegedale Police Department’s chaplain program evolved into something larger than what had been anticipated.
In January chaplains from the Collegedale Police Department attended training at the Sevierville Police Department in order to be certified law enforcement chaplains through the International Conference of Police Chaplains. They received training in Introduction to Law Enforcement Chaplaincy, Death Notification, Stress Management, Ceremonies and Events, Confidentiality and Legal Liability, Ethics, Responding to a Crisis, Law Enforcement Family, Substance Abuse, Suicide, Officer Death and Injury, and Sensitivity and Diversity.
“I am so proud of our chaplains and the training they received to be certified in what they do,” said Chief Sapp. “The hard work and effort that our volunteer chaplains put into their ministry every day is an inspiration. They put their heart and soul into everything they do.”
The Basic Chaplain course was hosted by International Conference of Police Chaplains’ Region 8, Glenn Davenport - ICPC Director, Chaplain Richard W. Everett – ICPC Tennessee Area Representative, the Sevierville Police Department, Chief Joseph Manning and Deputy Chief Sam Hinson.