Imagine that someone with a knife or another deadly weapon is charging at you with intent to kill.  How close do they have to be for you to deploy deadly force?  Did you say 21 feet?  That's what I've always been told.  But what if you take that shot and now you're on trial for murder and the prosecutor has evidence that says the assailant was twenty-two feet away when you took your shot.  Oh, no!  

Our guest today is Doug Deaton, and hopefully your lawyer will hire someone like Doug, a veteran cop and expert on use of force issues, to give testimony as an expert witness in court.  Doug has done exactly that and I brought him today to tell the story of when a lawyer let him explain the 21-foot rule to a jury.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain podcast Episode 143

Tags:

Police, Career, Court, Detectives, Expert Testimony, Guns, Justice, Movement, Shootings, SWAT, Tactics, Dallas, Texas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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Today we're coming back to our interview with identical twin first responders Stuart and Steve Littlefield.  Stuart is thirty-year cop, on the SWAT team and also a homicide detective; Steve is the thirty year firefighter.  Both worked at the same time in the same city, my home of KCK.  Today we're going to to talk about a couple of dramatic critical incidents they were involved in and also answer the question of which service is healthier and which one is worse.  

Hey Chaplain Episode 142 Part Two

Music is by DJ Williams

Tags:

Police, Fire, Accident, Barricade, Crime, Culture, Danger, House Fire, Injury, Mental Health,  Murder, Risk, Rivalry, Shooting, SWAT, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Identical twins but one's a firefighter and the other one is a cop and both have 30 year careers in the same city.  That's not a bad premise for a tv show… but it's also the background of the two guests we have on today's show.  Returning guest and friend of the show, retired detective Stuart Littlefield, has brought his brother, retired firefighter Steve Littlefield, to talk about the their two paths in fire and policing.  These two identical twins have a lot to say about the supposed rivalry between the two services and what it's like to know that your brother is in danger, just down the street.

Hey Chaplain Episode 142 Part One

Music is by TrackTribe

Tags:

Police, Fire, Career, Danger, Detective, Family, Fear, House Fire, Humor, Injury, Risk, Rivalry, Shooting, SWAT, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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START HERE:  Welcome to the sixth year of Hey Chaplain, the police wellness podcast.

https://buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Music is by Wes Hutchinson and by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Episode 000.6

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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This episode marks our fifth anniversary where we go back and do follow ups and business checks, checking in on some of our past guests to get updates.  This year I built the episode around an interview I recently had with Steve Keogh, the retired Scotland Yard murder detective who was on the show a few years ago. We also hear a behind-the-scenes canine for Brotherhood for the Fallen.

Links and resources:

• Steve Keogh - Ep 030, Ep 061: https://stevekeogh.com
• Jason Marsman - Bonus Ep 50: Brotherhood for the Fallen https://www.brotherhoodnyc.org
• Jim Sutterby - Ep 003, 007, et al.
• Richard Breshears - Ep 101
• Ryan Miller - 023, 056, 097, et al.
• Shawn McGee - Ep 069

Music is by Chris Haugen and by Jeremy Korpas and Rick Barry ("Care is Heavy")

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 51

Tags:

Police, Books, Career, Detectives, Feedback, History, Podcasting, Promotions, Retirement, Television, Kansas City, London, Overland Park, Spring Hill, Kansas, England, UK

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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When a cop tries to go to counseling, the counselor typically gets one chance to make a good impression.  Either this is going to go fairly well and the cop will come back again or it won't go well and the cop will swear he'll never go to another counselor the rest of his life!  A growing number of second-career, cops-turned-counselors are determined to make a meaningful connection on that first attempt.  Today's guest is Ian Hobbs.  Ian is a former homicide detective and a Marine Corps veteran who is now starting a second career as a clinician.  Ian is going to describe what he saw in the military and in law enforcement that made him want to change careers and help in a more direct way.

Music is by TrackTribe

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 141

Tags:

Police, Career, Counseling, Crimes Against Children, Detectives, Education, Homicide, Mental Health, Stress, Suicide, USMC, Kansas City, Kansas, Missouri, Iraq

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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When I was at the line of duty death funeral of Deputy Elijah Ming, I met officers from all across the midwest, but I also ran into uniformed officers from further away, specifically one officer who traveled all the way from New York City.  This was my introduction to Brotherhood for the Fallen, an organization of police officers who send representatives to every funeral of an officer murdered in the line of duty.  Today we're talking to Jason Marsman from the New York City chapter of Brotherhood for the Fallen.  We're going to talk about the strange mission to attend every police funeral in the country and the surprising gift for the family that these officers bring with them.

Brotherhood For the Fallen NYC Chapter: https://www.brotherhoodnyc.org

Music is by the Westerlies

Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 50

Tags:

Police, Death, Funerals, Honor, Line of Duty Death, Memorials, Morale, NYPD, Travel, Brooklyn, Dallas, Kansas City, New York City, Kansas, New York, Texas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Some of the funniest people I know are cops.  Comedy is a coping mechanism and humor, even dark humor, helps us regain control over uncontrollable circumstances.  So today I want to introduce you to a cop turned comedian, Jim Perry.  Jim was an officer near Chicago for several years before a medical retirement and now he's a comedian and comedy club owner in Arizona.  We're going to talk about his journey into stand up comedy and why cops are a natural fit to tell jokes, deal with hecklers, and survive when your jokes bomb on stage. 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 140

Music is by Kevin McLeod

Tags:

Police, Alarms, Career, Comedy, Contentment, Family, Grief, Home Security, Injuries, Trauma, Chicago, Arizona, Illinois

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today we're talking again to Phil Reeves. This is part two of my conversation with Phil.  In part one we talked about his background, in which he has been a working actor in Hollywood for decades while also serving as a police officer.  We talked about the fun stuff last time, here in part two we're going to be talking about the tougher stuff: difficult moral and ethical decisions in leadership, ending a career, and starting a new one as a police chaplain.  Phil has become a major voice across the country advocating for officer wellness and the intelligent and professional use of police chaplains.  You're going to want to hear the experiences on the street that led him down this path.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 139.5 (Part 2)

Tags:

Police, Acting, Career, Certifications, Chaplaincy, Compromise, Death, Ethics, Imposter Syndrome, Scandal, Supervisors, Support, Training, New Orleans, California, Louisiana

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Our guest today is Phil Reeves; Phil has been an actor in Los Angeles for decades but he has also been a police officer and is now a law enforcement chaplain and a vocal advocate for first responder chaplaincy.  This first part, I'm just going to introduce you to Phil and let him tell you how he went from Hollywood movie sets to law enforcement.  In part two, we'll talk about the hard parts of the job and what led him to becoming an advocate nationally for chaplaincy.

Music is by Wes Hutchinson

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 139

Tags:

Police, 9-11, Acting, Age, Career, Casting, Movies, Relationships, TV, Hollywood, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, California, Louisiana, New York

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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This is part two of my recent conversation with Jake the International Security Specialist Guy and if you haven't already listened to Ep 138 or when Jake was on the show last year in Ep 117, then stop what you're doing and go back and catch those episodes.  In this portion we are talking more about contingency planning with your family.  The specific context is what do you do if you're separated from your teenagers during an emergency in a foreign country, but really, this is practical advice for an emergency anywhere and even in a situation that is not a crisis yet but just requires some guidance so that your teen is prepared.

Jake's previous episodes were Ep 117 and Ep 138

Music is by the Mini Vandals

Hey Chaplain podcast episode 138.5 (part 2)

Tags:

Travel, Children, Contingencies, Connectivity, Disasters, Emergencies, Family, Hiking, Phones, Planning, Police, Rally Points, Safety, Technology, Teens, Mexico

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today, back by popular demand, is Jake the International Security Specialist Guy. This time I'm catching  up to him while he was at home in Thailand.  Jake has been doing security work in trouble spots all over the world and was gracious enough to drop in a let me pick his brain on several topics.  In this episode we're going to talk traveling in a country with civil unrest, demonstrations, and riots.  Jake's going to explain how to avoid trouble and take care of your family while the streets are shut down and the phone service is cut off.  You'll like hearing a cop like Jake talk about this stuff and, even if you're not leaving the country anytime soon, there's still a lot here you can apply to emergency situations at home.

Music is by Cumbia Deli and by Nick Panek

Hey Chaplain podcast episode 138

Tags:

Travel, Avoidance, Civil Unrest, Family, Maps, Mobile Phones, News, OSINT, Olympics, Plans, Police, Protests, Riots, World Cup, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, France, India, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Tanzania, Vietnam

Support the show

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Police Social Workers are not a new concept but until now there's not been a nationwide standard for how they are trained or how they are employed alongside police officers.  Caroline Ban teaches at Valparaiso University and she has started the first public safety social work certificate program in the nation for people who have their masters in social work or are getting their MSW.  Caroline talks about the how social workers can add something valuable to the police team that I know you'll appreciate.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 137

Tags:

Social Workers, Co-responders, Education, Embedding, Mental Health, Officer Wellness, Police, Professor, Training, University, St. Louis, Valparaiso, Indiana, Missouri 

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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This is a special bonus episode of Hey Chaplain recorded on site in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Officer Safety and Wellness Conference.  Chaplain Phil Reeves from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department was my partner in giving a presentation on embedding chaplains.  We recorded that talk and the Q&A that followed and I want to give you a few select cuts of what we did.  I also had the opportunity to hang out with some chaplains from California, Massachusetts, Colorado, and other states, so I'm going to throw in a few clips of those police chaplains saying hi to the Hey Chaplain audience.

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 49

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Chaplains, Culture, Embedding, Expectations, IACP, Leadership, Podcasting, Police, Relationships, Standards, Kansas City, New Orleans, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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How do you know when to call it quits, especially if you're in the first half of your career?  It's incredibly difficult to give blanket advice because everyone and everyone's circumstances are unique and constantly changing.  For some officers, the best advice is wait a moment for the storm to pass.  For other officers it's time or maybe past time to get out.  

Today we're talking to former deputy Josh Lively.  Josh started a promising career in law enforcement but soon discovered this might not be the career that fulfills his calling in life.  We're going to talk about the process of figuring out what to do when you're miserable as a police officer.  What does that mean?  How do you know what decision to make?  How far do you push it before you need to eject?

My guess is that every police officer can sympathize with what you're going to hear Josh say.  But there are going to be distinct camps of listeners to this episode.  Those who hear Josh's story and  recognize it as their own.  And those who don't.  But I hope you listen to Josh's wisdom on this matter because we all know cops who need to stay and others for whom it is time to go.

Josh's podcast is called the "Practically Christian Podcast"

Music is by Chris Haugen and by Winking Fox

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 136

Tags:

Career, Calling, Chaplain, Decision Making, Depression, Faith, Family, Health, Mental Health, Ministry, Police, Quitting, Sheriff Deputy, Support, Florida

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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This is Part 2 of our interview with Dennis Kleyh, Jr.  Part 1 was about defensive tactics and the differences in mindsets between veterans and the police recruits who have never been punched in the face.  But in putting that episode together, I was left with an equal portion of the interview where Dennis talked about his careers in the Marine Corps and law enforcement. Military careers and law enforcement careers can seem pretty random.  It's only the recruiters who have a clear idea of what your future will be like, your actual mileage may vary. But right here is some interesting wisdom, for good or ill, you don't know exactly where your military or police service may take you.  So let's use Dennis' story to look at that.

CORRECTION: After I finished the first episode I discovered that I made a mistake, Dennis said Fourth Recon and I said Force Recon, and over the internet, neither of us heard the difference.  But I should have double checked, especially since it's clear as a bell now that I listen back to it.  Sorry about that!  

Music is by the Mini Vandals

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 135 Part 2

Tags:

Career, Leadership, Marines, Military Service, Police, Training, USMC, Veterans, Missouri, Afghanistan, Iraq

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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How would a defensive tactics class in the police academy be different for a combat veteran than for someone without that experience? Today's guest Dennis Kleyh. Sgt Major Kleyh spent 30 years with the Marine Corps and is now a police captain, with over twenty years of teaching defensive tactics in both settings. Today we talk about how the combat mindset is different than policing and why some people have trouble regaining control when the things get real. We talk about how to train people who have never been in a fight before and why we all might benefit if some people were just punched in the face.

Music is by National Sweetheart and by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 135

Tags:

Police, Calm, Defensive Tactics, Discipline, EID, Instructors, Leadership, Marines, Military Service, Self-Control, Training, USMC, Use of Force, Veterans, Missouri, Afghanistan, Iraq

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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This quarterly update episode looks at the Chaplaincy resolution from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).  Police Chief Jim Sutterby is our special guest host today.

Jim was previously featured on episodes 003, 007, and 041.

The IACP site that lists this resolution is https://www.theiacp.org/resolutions

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Update Episode 1Q 2026

Tags:

IACP, Chaplaincy Programs, Chaplains, Conferences, Law Enforcement, Police, Policies, Resolution, Standards, Wellness, New Orleans, Louisiana

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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We can't control everything in police culture and we certainly can't control how outsiders talk about police, but we can control our attitudes and our end of the relationships within the department.  Today's guest is Eric Tung, a police commander and the host of the podcast Blue Grit Radio.  Eric wants to talk about the empathy or lack thereof that exists between officers and between the officers and commanders.  How they communicate better and how each member of the team work to make the team better, regardless of outside influences.

Eric's website: bluegritwellness.com and find Eric Tung on LinkedIn

Music is by Wes Hutchinson

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 134

Tags:

Police, Communication, Culture, Empathy, K9, Leadership, Loss, Nihilism, Peer Support, Podcast, Teamwork, Wellness, Seattle, Washington

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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This is a special bonus episode I'm calling the Pursuit Channel; here you can listen in to the excerpts of Hey Chaplain interviews that get cut for time or strayed off topic but are still worth a listen. In this episode I also talk about where I'll be IRL this year.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 48

Tags:

Police, Addiction, Chaplains, Conferences, Podcasting, Purpose, Support, Kansas City, New Orleans, Spokane, Kansas, Louisiana, Washington

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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What happens when the cop who was taking down bad guys and drug addicts, becomes a drug addict…  for years… ruining everything and costing everything?  Today we're talking to Brock Bevell, a medically retired cop who lost everything to opioid addiction.  We're going to talk about the injuries, the pain, the addiction, the cost, and Brock's recovery.  If you think that your addiction is going to remain hidden where no one will ever find out about it, then you need to hear what Brock has to say.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 133

Tags:

Police, Addiction, Commitment, Consistency, Detox, Doctors, Drugs, Fear, God, Identity, Injury, Medical Retirement, Pain, Prescriptions, Relationships, Shame, Undercover, Mesa, Arizona

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today we return to police officer JD Pettey to talk about what happens when an officer starts talking during someone else's tragedy and how badly that can go.  JD's family has had a number of serious tragedies and he was gracious enough to share those difficult memories with us because each story is an example of cops saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, even when they knew they were talking to a fellow police.  Obviously this is a sensitive conversation with discussion of suicide and other tragic deaths, but this is also one of my favorite conversations I've ever had with a police officer.  I think it was instructive, insightful, and even funny at times.  And we've all been there, when you need just the right words, and instead you put your foot your mouth.

Music is by Alexander Nakarada and by National Sweetheart

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 132.5

Tags:

Police, Accidents, Assumptions, Communication, Death Notifications, Family, Humor, Jargon, Loss, Professionalism, Suicide, Tragedy, Kansas City, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today we're talking about Crisis Intervention Teams and the work they do to free up police resources for other jobs.  Our guest today is a CIT officer and instructor I met at a training I went to this last year.  His name is JD Pettey and he's a thirty year officer with about a decade specifically working with co-responders (the community behavioral health liaisons) to help people in need because of addiction and mental health problems.  JD has a tremendous amount of experience and you're going to want to catch what he says is valuable about having officers who specifically specialize in CIT areas.

Music is by Alexander Nakarada

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 132

Tags:

CIT, Addiction, Army, Career, Co-Responders, Crisis, Mental Health, Police, Psychosis, Substance Abuse, Training, Veterans, Kansas City, Kansas, Missouri

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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In the first part of our conversation with Travis Yates, we talked about cowardly leadership.  If you didn't listen to that episode, go back and listen to it right now, it's episode 131.  This is the second part of that conversation where we veered off from the cowardly leadership conversation to the more specific conversation of how leadership affects officer safety.  And this is something that Travis is really passionate about -- I mean he really gets fired up here.  This is really isn't a space for political correctness; we're just kinda telling it like it is.  I have these conversations all the time, just not usually with a cop who has a doctorate in this stuff.

Resources:

Travis' website: travisyates.org

Music is by National Sweetheart, by LesFM, and by Chris Haugen 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 131.5

Tags:

Police, Career, Cowardice, Courage, Leadership; Police Culture, Safety, Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Following the law should be straightforward and black and white.  Following department policy should be the same way.  But navigating the murky waters of how to lead and inspire people to do their best work in a competitive and demoralizing environment… well, that's going to take some courage.  Our guest today is Travis Yates, who rose up through the police ranks, saw a lot of good and bad leadership, had to practice it himself, and now is ringing the alarm that bad leadership can destroy an agency.  Today we're specifically talking about courageous leadership and what it's opposite, cowardly leadership, looks like in a police department.

Resources:

Travis' website: travisyates.org

Music is by Chris Haugen 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 131

Tags:

Police, Career, Cowardice, Courage, Family, Interviews, Leadership; Police Culture, Politics, Promotions, Ride Alongs, Supervision, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Tulsa, Arkansas, Oklahoma

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A special guest host interviews Chaplain Altic to recap the year!  Police Major Joe Grasela joins Jared to give us a recap of their favorite moments from the 2025 Hey Chaplain episodes.  Listen in to find out what were the most noteworthy episodes of the year; also included are the top ten listener countries and cities. And don't miss a sneak peek of what's coming in 2026 and beyond!

Episodes directly referenced in the show:

• Dana Gouge was on episodes 110 and 110.5
• Tim Eggebraaten was on episodes 114 and 114.5
• Todd Hixson was on episodes 107 and 107.5
• Rick James was on episode 120
• Jim Dudley's Halloween episode was Bonus Ep 46
• My solo episode on grief was Bonus Ep 44
• Shenee Davis and Gregg Dorsett were on episodes 126 and 126.5
• Jamison White was on episode 128
• Jake the International Security Specialist Guy was on episode 117

Music is by DJ Williams

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 130

Tags: 

Podcasting, Bagpipes, Career, Chaplains, Copline,  DEA, Detectives, Encouragement, Funerals, History, Imposter Syndrome, Listeners, Microphones, Music, Police, RCMP, Recording, Serial Killers, Support, Kansas City, San Francisco, Wichita, California, Kansas, Canada

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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This is our Christmas Bonus Episode for 2025! Today's guest is police chaplain Mark Femmel from St Louis. We're talking about the goodness of police officers, ride alongs, Christmas services at church, and Mark has a special Christmas message for you.

Music is by Audionautix and by Kevin MacLeod

Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 47

Tags: 

Christmas, Chaplains, Church, Holidays, Ministers, Morale, Police, Kansas City, St Louis, Kansas, Missouri

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When we talk about traumatic experiences, we usually go straight to the shootings and the car accidents, the grisly murders and crimes against children.  What often gets left out of that list is getting the threatening lawyer letter that says you're getting sued and whole life is about to be destroyed.  Today's guest is police chaplain Mark Clements who has received these letters over and over and over again.  Why does someone want to sue him?  For being a chaplain in the first place of course.  Mark talks about getting sued and why police chaplaincy should NOT be in danger getting shut down for violating the constitution or some other nonsense.  But even if you're not connected in any way to the legal and historical argument for law enforcement chaplaincy, I hope you'll listen in to a conversation with someone who has opened those scary lawyer letters… and survived.

Music is by Chris Haugen 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 129

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Attorneys, Court, First Amendment, ICPC, Lawsuit, Legality, Ministry, Police, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, Threats, La Crosse, Mansfield, Wisconsin, Ohio

The hosts and guests, including any discussion of personal legal experiences, lawsuits, constitutional issues, or Supreme Court decisions, are providing general information and commentary, not specific legal counsel.  

Listening to this episode, reading the shownotes, or interacting with us does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and any of the hosts, guests, or the Hey Chaplain podcast.

Legal outcomes, including the handling of lawsuits and court decisions, are highly dependent on the specific facts of each case. The discussion of personal experiences or historical court cases may not be applicable to your situation.

If you have a legal issue, have received a lawyer's letter, or need advice regarding constitutional law, please stop listening to podcasts and go consult with a qualified legal professional licensed in your jurisdiction. Do not rely on anything you hear on a podcast as a substitute for competent legal advice.

Hey Chaplain has not received any kind of compensation or benefit from First LIberty Institute and this is not a paid advertisement for First Liberty Institute or any other law firm or legal representation.  If you are still very very angry and feel compelled to bring a lawsuit, let me know and maybe I can get you in touch with Chaplain Mark, because he's been waiting for you with bated breath.

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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It's mailbag time!

Use the link above to leave a comment or a question and we might use it on a future show!

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Update Episode 4Q 2025

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Chaplains, Email, Law Enforcement, Mail, Podcasting, Radio, Chicago, Kansas City, Illinois, Kansas

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Today we are talking about Critical Incident Debriefs.  I had an officer walk into a debrief one time, take one look at the chairs, and say, "this is a circle meeting?!  I hate circle meetings!"  Well, typically a modern, well-run debrief will prove its value by the end of the meeting, even reaching most of the skeptics… as long as they go to the meeting in the first place.

So our guest today is Major Jamison White from Maryland Heights, Missouri.  He's a commander who understands what it's like to be on both sides of a debrief and the critical incident stress that it's meant to help address.  He has some encouraging words about how debriefs have developed in recent years and you're going to want to hear this.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 128

Tags:

Debriefs, Counseling, Critical Incidents, Depression, Leadership, Police, Psychology, School Shooting, Stress, Substance Abuse, Trauma, Wellness, Maryland Heights, Missouri

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Today we return to our conversation with Sheriff Sonny Byerley and his wife Mikaela.  This is part two, so you if you haven't heard part one, you definitely need to go back and catch Episode 127 and hear some of the wild stories of Sonny's career: getting shot and stabbed, going through a dramatic officer involved shooting and witnessing the hatred and violence of a big city riot.  But in this part of the conversation we see the vulnerable side of the Sheriff and what Mikaela saw in her husband as the years of trauma began to affect him, eventually leading to a medical retirement.  

Music is by the Mini Vandals and by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 126 Part 2

Tags:

PTSD, Family, Health, Medical, Mental Health, Relationships, Retirement, Sacrifice, Trauma, VA, Missouri

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Today we're talking to Sheriff Sonny Byerley and his wife Mikaela.  I met Sonny and Mikaela because they have begun traveling to police wellness conferences to share their experiences about PTSD.  Sonny is a cop's cop: strong, independent, and self-reliant, but he's also a cop who has survived being shot and stabbed on multiple occasions and has endured all kinds of other traumas that a lot of officers can relate to.  

In today's interview we're going to focus on Sonny's story and a few of the traumatic incidents he's experienced.  But then I'm going to produce a part two episode for next week that will look at the effects that thirty years of trauma began to have on Sonny and Mikaela.  So part one will be all the gruesome stories, part two will be the impact it had on the Sheriff.  You're really going to want to hear both sides.

Music is by Wes Hutchinson

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 127, Part One

Tags:

PTSD, Career, Injuries, Police, Rural Policing, Sheriff, Shooting, Stabbing, Trauma, Branson, Ferguson, Missouri

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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In the summer of 2025, one of my patrol officers, Hunter Simoncic, was struck by a car and killed in the line of duty. As part of the grieving process, we are sharing our experiences with you that you might be better prepared for the impossible tasks that immediately follow a line of duty death.

One of the most difficult is that of family liaison officer.  A family liaison is assigned to the family of a fallen officer, to advocate for the family's needs, to communicate to them about police traditions and the departments needs, and be the point of contact for the countless questions that arise when everyone has just had their worst possible day.

Our guest for this interview is friend of the show Captain Gregg Dorsett.  Captain Dorsett was asked to be a family liaison officer for the Simoncic family and he agreed to let me debrief him and share his experience with you.  To go from police commander and decision maker to family advocate in the midst of strongest possible emotions… well, that's a journey I think everyone can gain from hearing about.

Concerns of Police Survivors can help families and coworkers.  Their website is https://www.concernsofpolicesurvivors.org

Music is by the Westerlies

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 126 Part 2

Tags:

Family Liaison, Coroner, Family, Funeral Homes, Hospital, Memorials, Morgue, Murder, Paperwork, Planning, Police, Post-Mortem, Processions, Sympathy, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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In the summer of 2025 my hometown of Kansas City, Kansas, lost two officers murdered in the line of duty: Deputy Elijah Ming and Officer Hunter Simoncic.  Because they were killed just 30 days apart, we had two large, complex, line of duty death funerals at the local major league soccer stadium, one funeral just a few weeks after the other.  We are still grieving and trying to process these losses, and as part of that process I wanted to offer our experiences as a resource to other agencies.

The guest for this interview Captain Shenee Davis-Kross from the police department.  She was involved in the logistics and planning for both funerals, starting with the motorcycle escorts for the fallen and extending to an almost endless list of other responsibilities in the Op Plan.  Though Captain Davis was just one part of a much larger team, I felt she represented the group's experience really well and I think you'll learn a lot from what she went through.

Music is by the Westerlies

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 126

Tags:

Line of Duty Death, Ceremonies, Family, Funeral, Helicopters, Liaisons, Logistics, Motorcycles, Murder, Police, Sheriff, Snipers, Sporting KC, SWAT, Taps, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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It's that time of year again to talk about those spooky stories and things that go bump in the night.  This time we're looking at San Francisco and talking to friend of the show, JIm Dudley.  Jim has been on the show multiple times and just to remind you he's a retired deputy chief from the San Francisco PD with over 30 years experience, he teaches at San Francisco State University, and hosts the Policing Matters podcast.  Even though Jim and I both share the opinion that most spooky things can be easily explained by natural causes, that doesn't mean we haven't had a few moments that give you pause as you sort out what this means.

Music is by Brian Bolger

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 46

Tags:

Halloween, Aliens, CIT, Chainsaws, Community Policing, Costumes, Drugs, Ghosts, Hauntings, Holidays, Kidnapping, Patrol, Police, Spooky, Superstitions, Warlocks, San Francisco, California

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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So a few years back I was at a police department promotion ceremony and began chatting with a guest who was an ATF civilian analyst.  Every gun story he told was fascinating.  Every insight he had on firearms was spot on.  He was good humored and friendly, so I asked him right there, would you ever consider coming on the Hey Chaplain podcast?  We can talk guns, we can talk the ATF, I just want to get you on the show.  He was very agreeable, but he said, we'll have to run it by legal first.  

Three years later…

We now have Mark Brock here to talk about crime scenes, firearms and ammunition, working for the ATF as a retirement job, and which sidearm is best for police officers.

Music is by Wes Hutchinsona

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 125

Tags:

ATF, 1911, Ammunition, Armorer, CSI, Crime Scenes, Cold Cases, Deputy, Firearms, Forensics, Glock, Guns, Sidearms, Sheriff, Shooting, Sights, Buchanan County, Kansas City, St. Joseph, Missouri 

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Medina Baumgart, Psy.D., ABPP is back to answer more questions from cops.  She and I put our heads together to make a list of common issues that cops have and I've compiled those concerns and questions (and a few surprise questions the doc hasn't seen yet) and we're going to have her give us her answers and she and I will banter back and forth about them.  She's a psychologist, I've been a church pastor for 30 years.  She's married to a retired cop, I'm a police chaplain.  I think you'll really like the conversation we have!

This is part two of our conversation, if you haven't listened to part one, go back and listen to episode 124 right now!

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 124.5 (Part 2)

Tags:

Counseling, Appointments, Communication, Injury, Mandated Reporting, Marriage, Police, Privacy, Psychology, Questions, Relationships, Sabotage, Self-harm, Suicide, Treatment, California

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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On today's episode we're talking doing something a bit different, something new to Hey Chaplain.  I found a cop psychologist who is married to a retired police officer and her name is Medina Baumgart, Psy.D., ABPP.  We put our heads together to make a list of common issues that cops have and I've compiled those concerns and questions (and a few surprise questions the doc hasn't seen yet) and we're going to have her give us her answers and she and I will banter back and forth about them.  I'm a chaplain and church pastor, she's a psychologist and a cop wife… I think you're really going to like the conversation we have here for you.

I'm splitting this into two parts; each half will have two big topics and two rapid-fire quick questions.  My hope is that not only will you enjoy the episode but that you'll share both halves with as many cops and first responders as you can.

Music is by Wes Hutchinson

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 124 (Part 1)

Tags:

Counseling, Appointments, Communication, Divorce, Expectations, Finances, Marriage, Police, Prenups, Psychology, Questions, Relationships, Treatment

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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On today's episode we're talking to Kevin Hardy about artificial intelligence, specifically in how and where it will fit in between the police officer and the chaplain… and can it replace a chaplain, or other helpers, entirely?  And I promise that both Kevin and I are actual flesh and blood humans.  Really.

Kevin's website: https://mwcn.online/   You can request an access link to his zoom meetings on the Events page.

Music is by the Whole Other and by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 123

Tags:

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Chaplaincy, Chatbots, Computers, Empathy, Fire, Future, Genuineness, Human Contact, Police, Technology, Tools

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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In the early days of this podcast, I began by bringing in patrol officers and asking them a series of about 25 questions, covering all aspects of their patrol experience.  From that initial batch of interviews I would pick a topic, stitch together the responses of several officers, and create compilation bonus episodes I called "Firsthand Accounts."  It's been three years since I've produced any of those firsthand account episodes and I've been promising that I would interview a batch of detectives and do the whole process over again.  That project has been delayed several times but it is finally starting to come together and I wanted to give you a small downpayment on what is developing.  Specifically, one of the questions I'm asking these detectives is "what is your big story."  Here are a couple samples.  Contributing to the episode are detectives V. Garner and A. Turnage.

The previous Firsthand Account episodes about Patrol Officers were Bonus Episodes 2, 3, 5, 9, and 11.  The same concept was used with police sergeants on Bonus Episodes 38 and 39.

Music is by TrackTribe

Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 45

Tags:

Detectives, Assaults, Cold Cases, Firsthand Accounts, Interviews, Investigations, Murder, Police, Independence, Missouri, Oregon

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On today's episode we're talking to Gregg Lanzen, he's a police and fire chaplain from Indiana who was a firefighter, a medic, church pastor, and a counselor with a doctorate in Psychology.  Gregg has all kinds of good things to tell you about building resiliency and some great tips for first responder families.

Music is by the Mini Vandals, by Chris Haugen, and by National Sweetheart

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 122

Tags:

Fire, Ambulances, Career, Church, Counseling, Faith, Family, Health, Ministry, Psychology, Resilience, Goshen, Illinois, Indiana

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I'm frequently asked about the topic of grief, so here are a few thoughts that frequently come up in those conversations, with special attention to the insights we get from Christianity. 

Music is by the Westerlies

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 44

Tags:

Grief, Bible, Death, Emotion, Fear, Funerals, Loss, Love, God, Health, Hope, Pain, Psychology, Remembrance, Sympathy, Trust

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Today we're talking about Field Training Officers and the FTO programs that train police officers once they are on the street.  Our guest today is Steve Kellams from the Blue Canary podcast.  Steve has taught hundreds of police departments in regard to field training issues and how to best run an FTO program and he is a past president of the National Association of Field Training Officers.

Resources:

Steve's Blue Canary consulting website, including his podcast - https://www.bluecanaryconsulting.com

The National Association of Field Training Officers (NAFTO) - NAFTO.org

Southeastern Field Training Officers Association (SEFTOA) - https://seftoa.org

Music is by Chris Haugen and by Alexander Nakarada

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 121

Tags:

Police, Class, Coaching, Drunks, FTOs, Fights, Law, Law Students, Love, Rights, Teaching, Training, Indiana

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It's mailbag time!

Use the link above to leave a comment or a question and we might use it on a future show!

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Update Episode 3Q 2025

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Chaplains, ICPC, Law Enforcement, Limited Series, Mail, Microphones, Mini-Series, Podcasting, Radio,  Reporting, Training, Kansas City, Little Rock, Arkansas, Kansas

Support the show

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Today we're talking to Rick James… no, not that Rick James.  Richard James is a chaplain with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from the Vancouver, British Columbia area.  He is a former Canadian police officer and has been working in church ministry for several years.  He was also a police chaplain in New York State for some time.  Rick journeyed across North America and made a visit to my Kansas City studio part of his trip; at the time he held the record for furthest distance to visit me in person, but just a week after recording this, "Jake the International Security Specialist Guy" visited me from Thailand (Ep 117).  I had no idea the distance-traveled record would be broken so soon.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 120

Tags:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Chaplain, Gun Control, Firearms, Police, Reports, Training, Regimental Colors, Niagara, Regina, Vancouver, British Columbia, New York, Saskatchewan, Canada

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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Welcome to the Daily ICPC; My name is Jared Altic, and I'm a chaplain with the police department.  This is a limited podcast series from Hey Chaplain, which follows police chaplains Jared Altic and Ward Jenkins to Little Rock, Arkansas to attend the annual training seminar of the ICPC, the international conference of police chaplains.  This series will provide a daily, behind the scenes look at the convention, and this is our after-action review episode, which brings this mini-series to it's conclusion. A segment of I-49 is named after John Paul Hammerschmidt, the tunnel is named after Bobby Hopper and opened in 1999.

Follow the Daily ICPC on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/

Music is by Chris Haugen

The Daily ICPC Introductory Episode, MS.1.6

Tags:

Chaplains, Airports, Banks, Classes, Conventions, Death Notifications, Food, Friends, IACP, ICPC, LAPD, Liaisons, Nostalgia, Police, Ride Alongs, Training, Travel, Kansas City, St Louis, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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On this episode we're talking to Dr. Olivia Johnson from Blue Wall Institute.  She is a researcher and subject expert on police wellness and specifically on police suicide and she is the jagged little pill stuck in the throat of the huge law enforcement machine that is funneling huge amounts of money at suicide prevention.  Today she's going to talk about suicide prevention is broken, primarily because of the things that no body, not the family and not the agency, wants to talk about.  But these are the things that a serious researcher like Olivia uncovers.  Settle in because this is a conversation that shines a light where no one wants to look.

Resources:

https://www.bw-institute.com

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 119

Tags:

Police, Autopsy, Epidemic, Family, Funding, Relationships, Prevention, Propaganda, PTSD, Research, Suicide, Statistics

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Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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Welcome to the Daily ICPC; My name is Jared Altic, and I'm a chaplain with the police department.  This is a limited podcast series from Hey Chaplain, which follows police chaplains Jared Altic and Ward Jenkins to Little Rock, Arkansas to attend the annual training seminar of the ICPC, the international conference of police chaplains.  This series will provide a daily, behind the scenes look at the convention, and this is our Day 5 episode.   It's called a "Statler" cut and it's the Immediate Past President; Arkansas is where we learn things.

Follow the Daily ICPC on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/

Music is by Chris Haugen

The Daily ICPC Introductory Episode, MS.1.5

Tags:

Chaplains, Airports, Banquets, Classes, Ceremonies, Conventions, Food, Friends, ICPC, Police, Training, Travel, Little Rock, Arkansas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Welcome to the Daily ICPC; My name is Jared Altic, and I'm a chaplain with the police department.  This is a limited podcast series from Hey Chaplain, which follows police chaplains Jared Altic and Ward Jenkins to Little Rock, Arkansas to attend the annual training seminar of the ICPC, the international conference of police chaplains.  This series will provide a daily, behind the scenes look at the convention, and this is our Day 4 episode.  If you ask a chaplain/pastor/podcaster to tell you everything, you get exactly what's coming to you.

Follow the Daily ICPC on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/

Music is by Chris Haugen

The Daily ICPC Introductory Episode, MS.1.4

Tags:

Chaplains, Classes, Ceremonies, Conventions, Credentials, Food, Friends, ICPC, Police, Training, Travel, Little Rock, Arkansas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Welcome to the Daily ICPC; My name is Jared Altic, and I'm a chaplain with the police department.  This is a limited podcast series from Hey Chaplain, which follows police chaplains Jared Altic and Ward Jenkins to Little Rock, Arkansas to attend the annual training seminar of the ICPC, the international conference of police chaplains.  This series will provide a daily, behind the scenes look at the convention, and this is our Day 3 episode. What are two guys from Kansas doing in the VIP room?

Follow the Daily ICPC on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/

Music is by Chris Haugen

The Daily ICPC Introductory Episode, MS.1.3

Tags:

Chaplains, Classes, Conventions, Funerals, ICPC, Loss, Memorials, Police, Reunions, Training, Little Rock, Arkansas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Welcome to the Daily ICPC.  This is a limited podcast series from Hey Chaplain, which follows police chaplains Jared Altic and Ward Jenkins to Little Rock, Arkansas to attend the annual training seminar of the ICPC, the international conference of police chaplains.  This series will provide a daily, behind the scenes look at the convention, and this is our Day 2 episode.  Jared gets some sleep and Ward goes in depth on how to instruct.

Follow the Daily ICPC on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/

Music is by Chris Haugen

The Daily ICPC Introductory Episode, MS.1.2

Tags:

Chaplains, Classes, Conventions, Experience, Headaches, ICPC, Police, Training, Travel, Little Rock, Arkansas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Welcome to the Daily ICPC. This is a limited podcast series from Hey Chaplain, which follows police chaplains Jared Altic and Ward Jenkins to Little Rock, Arkansas to attend the annual training seminar of the ICPC, the international conference of police chaplains.  This series will provide a daily, behind the scenes look at the convention, and this is our Day 1 episode. Which is faster: driving or flying to Little Rock?

Follow the Daily ICPC on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/

Music is by Chris Haugen

The Daily ICPC Introductory Episode, MS.1.1

Tags:

Chaplains, Conventions, Flying, Hotels, ICPC, Police, Training, Travel, Dallas, Kansas City, Little Rock, Arkansas, Texas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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Today we're talking to Dan Nash from the Human Trafficking Training Center and he's going to talk about the difficult encounters officers have with prostitutes who are controlled by traffickers and how they can be helped.  In fact, right off the bat Dan is going to lay out the paradox that many trafficking victims find themselves in:  they didn't willingly get into this life of prostitution… but they may not willingly leave it either.  How does a cop navigate that?  Dan Nash has answers and you're going to want to learn more.

Resources:

HumanTraffickingTrainingCenter.com

Music is by Wes Hutchinson

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 118

Tags:

Police, Abuse, Cartels, Coercion, Drugs, Education, Human Trafficking, Illicit Massage Businesses, Narcotics, Organized Crime, Prostitution, PTSD, Sex Workers, State Trooper, Stockholm Syndrome, Training, Trauma Bonding, Vice, Ozarks, Missouri, Utah

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Welcome to the Daily ICPC; My name is Jared Altic, and I'm a chaplain with the police department.  This is a limited podcast series from Hey Chaplain, which follows police chaplains Jared Altic and Ward Jenkins to Little Rock, Arkansas to attend the annual training seminar of the ICPC, the international conference of police chaplains.  This series will provide a daily, behind the scenes look at the convention, and this is our preview and introductory episode.

Follow the Daily ICPC on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/

Music is by Chris Haugen

The Daily ICPC Introductory Episode, MS.1.0

Tags:

Chaplains, Conventions, IACP, ICPC, Podcasting, Police, Standards, Teaching, Training, Travel, Kansas City, Little Rock, Arkansas 

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Today we're talking to Jake, the International Security Specialist Guy… which may or may not be his real name.  Jake has 25 years experience in law enforcement as an American cop; now he lives in Thailand and trains people who are traveling internationally into high threat environments.  Jake trains them and helps to manage crises while they're in-country, assisting them with any kind of emergency that would cause them to be ejected from that nation, from war to crime to earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Traveling internationally might be the only time that many American police officers are unarmed.  They carry a gun and knife on duty and off duty but not while traveling to foreign countries, which can leave you feeling pretty exposed.  Jake is going to talk to us about how not to get kidnapped while traveling in a foreign country.  He's going to cover all kinds of scenarios including carjacking, pickpockets, and dealing with scams while traveling.

Resources:

• The UK travel advise site: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
• The US travel advise site: travel.state.gov

Music is by National Sweetheart and by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 117

Tags:

Police, Assault, Bags, Budget, Carjacking, Guns, Kidnapping, Motorcycles, Pickpocketing, Robbery, Safety, Scams, Taxis, Trains, Transportation, Travel, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Ethiopia, France, Haiti, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Romania, St Maarten, Syria, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, Yemen

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Today we're talking to Jim Bontrager.  Jim is a police chaplain in Elkhart, Indiana, but he is also the president of the International Conference of Police Chaplains.  I got closer to attending the annual training seminar of the ICPC, I thought I'd ask the guy in charge if he had anything he wanted to share.  And boy did he!  Like a lot of chaplains, JIm is passionate about the well-being of cops and he jumped at the chance to talk about how a police officer finds his or her purpose in law enforcement. 

Resources:

• icpcchaplains.org
• thankyouofficers.com

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 116

Tags:

Chaplaincy, America, Evil, Faith, Freedom, Gratitude, History, ICPC, Patriotism, Philosophy, Police, Purpose, USMC, Elkhart, Indiana

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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In this episode we're listening to a portion of a podcast episode where podcaster and police officer Chad Campese interviewed Jared Altic. This part of Chad's episode focuses on the stress that first responders endure and how a chaplain's understanding of philosophy, psychology, and theology contributes to officer wellness.

Music is by Wes Hutchinson

Hey Chaplain podcast Bonus Episode 43

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Design, God, Meaning, Philosophy, Police, Psychology, Purpose, Stress, Theodicy, Theology, Wellness, Kansas City, Kansas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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In Kansas City, Kansas we had 4 officers murdered in three separate events in the span of just two years.  Two from the police department and two from the Wyandotte County Sheriffs Office.  Captain Stephen Smith, a returning guest and friend of the show, had a connection to all four and was on scene when the two deputies were killed.  We're going to hear him recount that day and then we'll hear from Steve's adult daughter, Taylor Hubbard, to get her perspective on what a cop's kid experiences during those frightening times when the community knows an officer is down, but the family doesn't yet know who has been hurt.

Kansas City, KS and Wyandotte County's recent fallen:

• Detective Brad Lancaster, EOW 9 May, 2016
• Captain Robert Melton, EOW 19 July, 2016
• Deputy Patrick Rohrer, EOW 15 June, 2018
• Deputy Theresa King, EOW 16 June, 2018

Music is by Mini Vandals and by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 115

Tags:

Police, Children, Communication, Danger, Death, Deputies, Detectives, Family, Fear, Help, Mental Health, Prisoner, Relationships, Sheriff, Social Media, Stress, Trauma, Wisdom, Kansas City, Kansas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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Today we are returning to our conversation about self-doubt and imposter syndrome with Tim Eggebraaten. In this part of the conversation we're moving into areas of leadership and encouragement. Tim was a police chief in Minnesota and we'll discuss how NOT to reprimand an officer and what role awards and award ceremonies play in how an officer may feel about him or herself. 

Resources:

• Tim's previous episodes include Episodes 053, 077, 077.5, and Bonus Ep 33.
• Tim's website is https://www.offdutychief.com

Music is by Asher Fulero 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 114.5

Tags:

Police, Administration, Awards, Ceremonies, Discipline, Encouragement, Gratitude, Leadership, Letters, Mistakes, Policies, Rebuke, Recognition, Voicemail, Detroit Lakes, Kansas City, Minnesota, Kansas

Support the show

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Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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One of the most commented on and most frequently requested guests we've ever had on Hey Chaplain is Tim Eggebraaten.  In fact whenever someone says, "I really liked the one guy but I can't remember his name," my first guess Tim Eggebraaten and I'm almost always right.  This actually happened again just the other day.  I love Tim's particular brand of introspection looking back at his time as a police officer in Minnesota and today I brought him in to talk about self-doubt.

Resources:

• Tim's previous episodes include Episodes 053, 077, 077.5, and Bonus Ep 33
• Tim's website is https://www.offdutychief.com

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 114

Tags:

Police, Affirmation, Arrogance, Book, Career, Confidence, Doubt, Encouragement, Gifts, Humility, Imposter Syndrome, Leadership, Music, Psychology, Purpose, Validation, Minnesota

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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START HERE:  Welcome to the fifth year of Hey Chaplain, the police wellness podcast.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Episode 000.5

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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This episode marks our fourth anniversary and I wanted to go back and do follow ups and business checks, checking in on some of our past guests to get updates.  In this episode we get an update from Vinnie Montez, Compassion Alliance, recently retired detective Stuart Littlefield and previously unaired excerpts from recent guests Kelly Enos and Joe Smarro.

Links and resources:

• Vinnie Montez - Ep 092: https://vinniemontez.com
• John Little, Compassion Alliance - Ep 078: https://compassion-alliance.org
• Gary Jenkins, Gangland Wire - Eps 035, 035.5, 046: https://ganglandwire.com
• Ginger Passarelli, Soup Ladies - Eps 010, 081: https://www.soupladies.org
• Kelly Enos - Ep 111
• Stuart Littlefield - Bonus Ep 36
• Tobi Wolf - Ep 047
• Joe Smarro - Ep 112: https://solutionpointplus.com

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 42

Tags:

Police, Books, Career, Comedy, Corrections, Counseling, Crime, Detectives, Empathy,  Golf, Health, Helicopters, History, Mafia, Marriage, Military, Retirement, Therapy, USO, Boulder, Denver, Kansas City, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Poland

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Today's guest is chaplain Mark Femmel.  Mark is a friend of mine who is a chaplain in St Louis, Missouri.  I brought Mark on today because he's a kindred spirit and I know he has a lot of great experience to share.  Today we're talking about chaplaincy generally and how it's the same and different between St Louis and Kansas City.  We're also talking about the trauma police endure when confronted with innocent victims like children and animals.

Music is by Chris Haugen and by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 113

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Animals, Chaplains, Children, Cold Plunge, Crime, Death Notifications, Fitness, Gym, Health, Patrol, Podcasts, Police, Stress, Trauma, Wellness, Workouts, Kansas City, Maryland Heights, St Louis, Kansas, Missouri

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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This is both our annual salute to mothers in the law enforcement family and also another episode on the Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS). Cheryl Railsback is the surviving mother of Deputy Shane Detwiler, EOW July 13, 2009. Her story of loss, grief, and her path back to helping others is a story you need to hear.

Concerns of Police Survivors website: https://www.concernsofpolicesurvivors.org

Music is by the Westerlies

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 41

Tags:

Concerns of Police Survivors, Army, COPS, Death Notification, End of Watch, Family, Funeral, Game Warden, Grief, Line of Duty Death, Parents, Sheriff's Office, Baytown, Houston, Texas, Iraq

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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Today's episode should probably have a sensitive content warning but it would take me too long to list all the ways our guest might upset you… and frankly the reason I brought this guy on the show was to hit every sensitive topic he could and then drop a truth bomb on us… so… our guest today is Joe Smarro.  You might recognize him from the award winning HBO documentary Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops.  This documentary and Joe's work at the San Antonio Police Department have accelerated the conversation about how to train police to deal with mental health issues in the real world. Joe is going to hit on so many great points as we progress through his personal story from childhood trauma to leaving law enforcement.

Joe's website: https://solutionpointplus.com

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 112

Tags:

Police, Abuse, ACEs, Childhood Trauma, CIT, Combat, Hypocrisy, Leadership, Marine Corps, Mental Health Unit, Pornography, Relationships, Stress, Suicidal, San Antonio, Texas, Afghanistan, Iraq 

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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It's mailbag time!

Use the link above to leave a comment or a question and we might use it on a future show!

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Update Episode 2Q 2025

Tags:

Mailbag, Chaplaincy, COVID, Debriefs, Fire, Internal Affairs, Isolation, Police, Relationships, Suicide, Update, Wellness, Kansas City

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Today our guest is Kelly Enos and he's here to talk about making a successful career change from law enforcement to teaching criminal justice and police science at the college or university.  Kelly made that very career change unexpectedly less than ten years into his career but he found success in academics as his second chapter and he wants to share with you how to make that change.

I don't know if teaching in the local community college is in your future, but I do hope that this begins the brainstorming session for how to apply your law enforcement skills to a different career track.

Kelly Enos always wanted to be police officer and wanted to do that for his entire career; he worked at the Culver City Police Department and then the LA County Sheriff's Department in high crime areas during the some of the worst drug and gang violence of the early 1990's.  But a sudden violent encounter and legal battle changed his life unexpectedly…

Kelly's book is Teaching for Criminal Justice Professionals https://a.co/d/02Hqg5l

Music is by Chris Haugen and by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 111

Tags:

College, Academics, Advisory Board, Career, Change, Community College, Criminal Justice, Dean, Education, Sheriff's Department, Police, Police Science, Shooting, Teaching, Culver City, Los Angeles, Marina Del Rey, California

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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This is the second part of our story of Detective Dana Gouge, who handcuffed the BTK serial killer, Dennis Rader.  If you haven't heard part one which told the story of a narcissistic serial killer who couldn't stop talking… then what are you doing?! Go back and listen to Ep 110 right now!  

We left off with Detective Gouge putting the handcuffs on Dennis Rader before the task force took him to be interviewed.  Dana is going to tell us a bit about those interviews but what I find interesting, and what I think is missing from your typical true crime podcast, is what effect it had on the detectives to encounter a truly evil man, to be the team working such a large case, and then to wrap it up.  So I'm going to explore these topics with Dana and talk about how that affects him twenty years later.

But first let me tell you what I did not reveal in part 1: the reason I know Dana Gouge.  Dana isn't just a retired homicide detective, today he's also a chaplain.  In fact at the time of this recording he's in the process of becoming a police chaplain at the same agency where I serve.  I'm really excited about the prospect of serving alongside him and his background in both policing and now counseling, pastoral care, ministry, and theology make him an excellent person to discuss the topic what to do when you encounter true evil. 

Dana's invitation: May 18, 2025 at One Hope Church, 9400 Nall, Overland Park, KS

Music is by Brian Bolger and by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 110.5

Tags:

Serial Killer, BTK Killer, Chaplaincy, Detectives, DNA, Evil, Faith, Family, FBI, History, Hospice, Infighting, Interviews, Investigations, Murder, Police, Task Forces, Theodicy, Wichita, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Today is a crime history episode on the BTK serial killer, Dennis Rader.  Rader is known to have committed at least ten murders between 1974 and 1991, communicating with the media about his crimes but not getting caught.  He called himself BTK, for "bind, torture, kill," and had disappeared for 13 years when suddenly he began communicating with the media and the police again.  This is the story of how he got caught. My guest today is Dana Gouge, who was a homicide detective at the Wichita Police Department.  This interview is going to cover the investigation from 2003 to 2005 which led to Dana being the detective to actually handcuff one of America's most famous serial killers.

Music is by Brian Bolger 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 110

Tags:

Serial Killer, BTK Killer, CODIS, Cold Case, Detective, DNA, Evidence, FBI, History, Investigations, Journalists, KBI, Murder, Police, Profilers, Task Forces, Wichita, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today we are talking about the hotline for police officers called COPLINE.  COPLINE provides 24/7 confidential services to active and retired law enforcement officers and their loved ones.  Today's guest is Carmine Czapla, who is a veteran and a retired cop, and is one of the active listeners on the other end of that life-saving phone call.  In this episode Carmine, who goes by the nickname Chops, talks about the calls he receives and the why serving in this way is so important to him.

Resources:

• Copline's website is copline.org
• Call 1-800-COPLINE, 1-800-267-5463 

Music is by Alexander Nakarada and by Brian Bolger 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 109

Tags:

Copline, Air Force, Alcohol, Depression, Family, Federal, Grief, Hotline, Injuries, Military Police, Police, Suicide, Telephone, Trauma, Veterans

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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This is your Quick Guide to Bagpipe Tunes.  I'm anticipating that there will be two distinct camps among my listeners, those who love bagpipes and those who don't yet.  But please give this a chance.  First, this is fairly short, and there's not a single tune here that lasts more than 2 minutes.  Second, I really do understand.  I'm not naturally drawn to this music, I had to be invested in it first, through my chaplaincy work with the police department and through my ministry work performing funerals.  And even through editing this episode, the tunes that all sounded the same at first, began to be distinct, and more than that, they became something that I found myself whistling as I went about my day.  So I ask that you would give the bagpipes a chance, it really is possible for it to grow on you.

Resources:

• Jim's previous appearances were in Ep 017 and Ep 108
• J. Higgins store - jhiggins.net

All music is performed by Jim Higgins for the Hey Chaplain podcast.  Thanks to Eric Young for sound engineering.

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Ep 40

Tags:

Bagpipes, Bands, Ceremonies, Graduations, Funerals, Memorials, Military, Music, Police, Kansas City, Kansas, Ireland, Scotland, Wales

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Today we have a returning guest, Jim HIggins.  Jim plays the bagpipes and teaches police officers and firefighters to play the bagpipes for our ceremonies and parades.  Jim often plays with them and is obviously an accomplished musician and expert in all things bagpipes related.  I was pleased to get Jim to come in and talk to me about the bagpipes, the tunes that they play, and the police ceremonies, parades, and funerals that he participates in.

Resources:

• Jim's previous appearance was in Ep 017
• J. Higgins store - jhiggins.net

All music, Suo Gân and The Gael, is performed by Jim Higgins for the Hey Chaplain podcast

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 108

Tags:

Bagpipes, Bands, Ceremonies, Competitions, Graduations, Fire, Funerals, Humor, Memorials, Military, Music, Police, Teaching, Weather, Denver, Kansas City, Lee's Summit, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Scotland, Ireland

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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On Today's episode we are continuing our conversation with retired DEA agent Todd Hixson.   If you haven't listened to part one, episode 107, then stop this episode and go listen to that right now!  Today Todd is going to talk about his career and some of his travels, or at least the parts he's allowed to talk about.  But just like in part 1 where we talked about going Fed, this week he's going to also talk to us about retiring from a a federal agent job.

Music is by LesFM and by Cumbia Deli

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 107.5

Tags:

DEA, Drugs, Federal Agents, Foreign Assignment, International, MLS, Organized Crime, RCMP, Retirement, Canada, Colombia, Iraq

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On Today's episode we're talking to retired DEA agent Todd Hixson.  Todd has a tremendous wealth of experience as a DEA agent and we're definitely going to hear some of those stories, working both domestically and on foreign assignment.  But I'm going to split this interview into two parts that are both really compelling.  First, we have the pros and cons of going Fed and how Todd navigated the DEA both for himself and his family.  On the next episode we'll have the other bookend, which will be knowing when to retire and how to prepare for leaving a law enforcement career.  Todd has a lot of valuable wisdom in both regards.

Music is by Asher Fulero and by Alexander Nakarada

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 107

Tags:

DEA, Divorce, Drugs, Family, Federal Agents, Feds, Moving, Police, Task Forces, Travel, Dallas, Alabama, Texas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today we have part two of our conversation with a medically retired police officer from the United Kingdom, Ken Anderson.  After a brief recap of the life-saving encounter he had on an edge of cliff in the moment before he would take his own life, we'll rejoin the conversation with Ken and talk about the aftermath and his new mission to de-stygmatize the conversation about mental health.

This episode contains discussion of depression that leads to a suicide attempt. Listener discretion is advised.

Ken's website: https://www.phoenix-rises.co.uk/

Music is by Asher Fulero, by Chris Haugen, and by Winking Fox

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 106.5

Tags:

Police, Depression, Isolation, Mental Health, Proactivity, Suicide, Supervisors, Stress, Survival, Vehicles, Leeds, England, UK

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Today we're talking to a medically retired police officer from the United Kingdom named Ken Anderson. Ken was a patrol officer, an instructor, and also a firearms officer in Leeds, England. But an accident on the job set him down a path that would eventually lead to him standing on a sea cliff, ready to end his life by throwing himself over the edge. In part one, we're going to get to know Ken, talk about his career, the accident, and the attempt to take his life. In part two, which I'll release one week later, we'll explore more about why this happens and how this has changed Ken.

This episode contains discussion of depression that leads to a suicide attempt. Listener discretion is advised.

Music is by Alexander Nakarada 

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 106

Tags:

Police, Accident, Depression, Family, Firearms, Identity, Injury, Isolation, Leadership, Mental Health, Suicide, Supervisors, SWAT, Training, Vehicles, Leeds, England, UK

Support the show

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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It's mailbag time!

Use the link above to leave a comment or a question and we might use it on a future show!

Music is by PineApple Music

Hey Chaplain Update Episode 1Q 2025

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Bible College, Chaplains, Clinical Pastoral Education, CPE, Education, Law Enforcement, Mail, Preparation, Seminary, Theology, Training, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Today we're talking to Anthony Baumgart; he's a former local and state level narcotics agent who worked in California.  Tony had almost 30 years in law enforcement, but when it came for his last day at work, he experienced a failure in leadership that sometimes happens in law enforcement.  You risk your life and give decades of hard work, only to be shown the door… almost like they're glad to be rid of you.  Today we talk about working at a state agency that's being closed, layoffs, getting rehired and finally retiring, unceremoniously.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 105

Tags:

Retirement, Agents, Career, Layoffs, Leadership, Meth, Narcotics, Parties, Pension, Personnel, Police, Politics, State Agencies, Tattoos, California

Support the show

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today we're talking again to Deborah Green; she was a California dispatcher for almost 30 years and in Part 1 of this interview she told about how she dispatched her deputies to a middle of the night call at a marijuana grow in the forests of California where they were ambushed by drug cartel gunmen. Make sure you go listen to Part 1 to hear how it all went down.  In this second part of the interview we will look at the aftermath of the shooting and what the fallout was for everyone involved including the dispatchers. 

Resources:

The Power of Our Story:  https://www.thepowerofourstory.com

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 104.5

Tags:

Dispatchers, Aftermath, CISM, Communications, Funerals, Healthy, Leadership, Line of Duty Death, Radio, Therapy, Trauma, California

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Today we're talking to Deborah Green; she was a California dispatcher for almost 30 years and has a compelling story to tell.  She dispatched her deputies to a middle of the night call at a marijuana grow in the forests of California where they were ambushed by drug cartel gunmen.  The story itself is remarkable but I wanted you to hear this one because it's told from the point of view of the dispatcher.  In part two of the interview we will look at the aftermath of the shooting and what the fallout was for everyone involved including the dispatchers. 

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 104

Tags:

Dispatchers, Drug Cartels, CISM, Communications, Helplessness, Line of Duty Death, National Guard, Radio, Shootout, Trauma, California

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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On this special Bonus Episode we are revisiting the interviews I did last fall with three sergeants from the department that I serve.   They collectively have 70 years of combined service and every time I asked another question, they just kept dropping more wisdom that I knew you'd want to hear. 

The officers interviewed are Master Sgt Angie Joyce, Senior Sgt Paul Simonich, and Senior Sgt Kyle Hickerson.  Part 1 of this interview was Bonus Episode 38 in November 2024.

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 39

Tags:

Police, Career, Education, Friendship, Leadership, Sergeants, Stress, Wellness, Work Ethic, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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On today's episode we are talking to an Army doctor, Colonel Skip Mondragon.  The good doctor is a championship wrestler, a combat veteran, a medical doctor, and also a man who has battled depression.  It has become the Colonel's mission to help tough guys ask for help, something that he struggled with first hand and so he knows what he's talking about.  We are going to talk about depression, Adverse Childhood Experiences, running a hospital in a combat zone, and what a you can do after trauma, when you don't have a chance to take a break from the constant stress.

Resources: 

• Dr Mondragon's website: https://www.transformedtoughguys.com
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Score Calculator: https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/10464/adverse-childhood-experiences-ace-score

Music is by Alexander Nakarada

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 103

Disclaimer:
Dr. Mondragon is a fantastic doctor but let me remind you that he is probably not your doctor.  The information presented in this episode, including any statements or opinions expressed by Dr. Mondragon, is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a doctor who has actually met you. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you heard on a podcast.  Go see your doctor!

Tags:

Depression, Army, Childhood Trauma, Doctor, Gratitude, Leadership, Military, Prayer, Stress, Veterans, Iraq, Texas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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A special guest host interviews Chaplain Altic to recap the year!  Police Major Joe Grasela joins Jared to give us a recap of their favorite moments from the 2024 Hey Chaplain episodes.  Listen in to find out what were the most noteworthy episodes of the year; also included are the top 10 listener countries and cities. And don't miss a sneak peek of what topics and interviews will be coming down the pike in 2025 and beyond!

Episodes directly referenced in the show:

• Paul Combs was Eps 094 and 094.5
• Kendra Brown was Ep 098
• Scott Robertson was Ep 091
• Jimmy Graham was Ep 096
• Tim Eggebraaten was Eps 053, 077, 077.5, and Bonus Ep 33
• Kevin Steele was Ep 088
• Dr Hachinsky was Eps 086 and 086.5

Music is by Chris Haugen and by Esther Abrami

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 102

Tags: 

Podcasting, Art, Calling, Career, Chiefs, Co-workers, Detectives, Disasters, Encouragement, Family, Firefighting, Game Wardens, Listeners, Police, Positivity, Support, Trauma, Kansas City, Kansas

Support the show

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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This is just a quick Christmas update to read a few reviews of the show, encourage you to write your own, and share a quick Christmas greeting.   Guest host Kaleb Sackett joins Chaplain Altic again to help us out and this time Kaleb is sharing a greeting he wrote.

Music is by Kevin MacLeod
Hey Chaplain Update Q4 2024

Tags:

Christmas, Chaplaincy, Family, Goodness, Parenting, Patrol, Podcasting, Police, Prayer, Ratings, Support, Virtue, Writing, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

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Today we're talking about technology! Drones, Artificial Intelligence, Body Worn Cameras and more are proliferating through police departments at a rapid rate and I find the whole topic just fascinating. So our guest for this episode is Captain Richard Breshears who is the captain over the technology unit in a police department here in the Kansas City metro area. We get to hear from him what cool things technology is doing in law enforcement and where it may go in the near future.

Music is by Nicholas Panek generated by artificial intelligence and is also by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 101

Tags:

Police, AI, Cameras, Civil Rights, Computers, Drones, Family, Privacy, Recording, Reports, Safety, Technology, Video, California, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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This is Part 2 of the interview, go back to Episode 100 to hear the first part.

Is this a hostile takeover?  No, it's just one of my patrol sergeants commandeering the podcast in order to ask me questions about my background, education, and family.  Paul Simonich is one of my patrol sergeants and he appeared previously in Bonus Episode 38.  

Music by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain podcast episode 100.5

Tags:

Chaplains, Attitude, Behavioral Health, Choir Practice, Disorder, Injury, Morale, Psychology, Shame, Tells, Work, Kansas City, Kansas

DunDunDunnn.wav by copyc4t -- https://freesound.org/s/146434/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Is this a hostile takeover? No, it's just one of my patrol sergeants commandeering the podcast in order to ask me questions about my background, education, and family. Paul Simonich is one of my patrol sergeants and he appeared previously in Bonus Episode 38. 

Music by Chris Haugen.

Hey Chaplain podcast episode 100

Tags:

Chaplains, College, Education, Family, Hometown, Police, Seminary, Training, Joplin, Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, Kansas, Missouri

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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On this special Thanksgiving Bonus Episode I asked three sergeants from the department that I serve to come talk to me about gratitude and the perspective that younger officers need to have to be successful in law enforcement.

The officers interviewed are Master Sgt Angie Joyce, Senior Sgt Paul Simonich, and Senior Sgt Kyle Hickerson.

Music is by LesFM

Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 38

Tags:

Police, Career, Education, Friendship, Gratitude, Hope, Leadership, Sergeants, Stress, Technology, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving,  Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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This is a special milestone episode: number 099 (of the enumerated main episodes)!  So here are ninety-nine ideas that I have not yet made into podcast episodes.  Enjoy the look into the future publishing schedule and please keep an eye out for a topic for which you may be able to assist in making contact with a good interviewee.  Message me or email me!


Music is by Kevin McLeod and by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain podcast episode 099

Special thanks to "The Allusionist" podcast for demonstrating the concept so well.

Tags: 
Police, Ideas, Interviews, Planning, Podcasting, Wellness, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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Steve Kellams from Blue Canary has devoted this season of his show to leadership topics and he brought me on to talk about informal leadership, because as a chaplain I have influence but no actual authority.  We ended up talking about several wellness topics and some of my philosophy of chaplaincy as well as why I started Hey Chaplain.  I asked Steve if I could use a condensed version of the interview and he agreed, so this a slightly shorter version of our conversation.


Music is by Alexander Nakarada

Tags:

Chaplaincy, Authority, Caring, Chaplains, Church Leadership, Fire, Influence, Leadership, Pastor, Podcasting, Police, Rapport, Training, Trust, Wellness, Kansas City, Kansas

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
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In this episode we're talking to police Chief Kendra Brown.  She's one of over 300 police chiefs in America who happen to be women.  She's also happens to be a former participant in the Miss America pageants – not the usual starting place for most cops.  So I wanted to talk to Chief Brown about being a woman in the hyper-masculine field of law enforcement and what advice she has for surviving and then excelling in this job, especially when people are judging the book by its cover.


'Love Conquers' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Hey Chaplain podcast Episode 098

Tags:
Police, Advice, Beauty Pageant, Family, Leadership, Marriage, Miss America, Musical Theater, Singing, Women, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, South Carolina

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Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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Every cop has a bump in the night story; sometimes those bumps happen in broad daylight.  Today I'm talking to a veteran homicide and cold case detective from Kansas City named Stuart LIttlefield.  Detective Littlefield was recommended to me because he's a great story teller with a great story that might actually include an encounter with a ghost.  Even if you don't believe in that kind of thing, it seems that as human beings we can't get enough of those strange unexplainable stories and the detective and I talk a bit about that too.

Music is by Brian Bolger

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 36

Tags:

Police, Cold Cases, Death, Detectives, Gangs, Gang Signs, Ghosts, Graffiti, Halloween, Hospital, Knives, Polaroid, Spooky, Kansas City, Kansas

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Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

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When you first became a cop, you probably had a goal.  You wanted to become a homicide detective, or a K9 handler, or you wanted to make the SWAT team.  Maybe you're on track to achieve that goal, but even if you do make it, what then?  How do you go about getting promoted later in your career if you've already gone into a specialty like SWAT?  I've got someone for you today who can answer those questions.  Today we are bringing back a frequent guest and friend of the show, Ryan Miller.  Ryan is currently a major at his department, so not only has he been in the SWAT teams as an officer, a sergeant, and a captain, but he's also been in the position to hire and fire police officers and to evaluate people for special assignments.  He's seen this from both sides and has more actual experience advancing up through special operations than most people.

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 097

Tags:

Police, Advancement, Career, Hiring, Leadership, Patrol, Promotions, Professional Standards, Responsibility, Selection Process, SWAT, Kansas City, Overland Park, Kansas

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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Today we address one of the most frequent topics that I hear about in the police station, the great difficulty in recruiting Gen Z.  My friend Jim Dudley co-authored a recent book on the subject, called "Recruitment & Retention of Gen-Z Law Enforcement Officers" and I brought Jim and his co-author, Janay Gasparini, to talk about it and give us a few insights on what can be done.

Resources:

• Jim's podcast is called "Policing Matters"
• Book:  Recruitment & Retention of Gen-Z Law Enforcement Officers https://www.blue360media.com/recruitment-retention-of-gen-z-law-enforcement-officers-1st-ed.html

Music is by DJ Williams

Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 35

Tags:

Police, Books, Demographics, Gen Z, Generations, Health, Hiring, Leadership, Psychology, Recruiting, Relationships, Retention, Sociology, San Francisco, California

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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Today's guest is Jimmy Graham.  Jimmy was a US Navy SEAL and worked for the CIA but one of the most interesting jobs he had, and one that overlaps with law enforcement, is that in both the SEALs and the CIA he trained people in CQB, i.e. Close Quarters Battle, room-clearing, hostage rescue, and room-to-room combat. Jimmy still trains people but now he includes teaching on family relationships, the meaning of manliness, and his Christian faith.  These are all lessons that were learned and confirmed in the shoot house. So today Jimmy is going to talk about the wisdom he learned from CQB and how he's applying it as a husband and a father today.

Resources:

• Jimmy's podcast is called "The Protector Culture Podcast"
• Jimmy's YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/@ableshepherd

Music is by Chris Haugen and by Alexander Nakarada

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 096

Tags:

US Navy SEALs, Active Shooters, CIA, Combat, CQB, Family, Fatherhood, Manhood, Marriage, Military, Navy, Shoot House, Shooting, Wisdom

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
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Today we're talking about the recurring dreams and nightmares that cops have.  Our guest is Dr Dara Rampersad, a first responder and forensic psychologist from Phoenix Arizona who specializes in first responder mental health.

Dr Dara's website: www.bluepaz.com

Music is by Chris Haugen

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 095

Tags:

Police, Alcohol, Anxiety, Dreams, Fear, FEMA, Fire, Guns, Nightmares,  Psychology, Sleep, Trauma, Phoenix, Maui, Arizona, Hawaii

Support the show

Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city.

Subscribe/Follow here:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY

Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com

You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain