Turlock Chaplaincy Toolkit

News of the Turlock Chaplaincy, Inc. SPRING 2012

this issue
Deputy Paris is Honored P.1 2012 Fun Run P.2 Back Home P.3 Fire Chaplain Grossman P.4

RECENT EVENTS
The death of Sheriffs Deputy Bob Paris was a shock to many in the law enforcement community, but it provided another opportunity for local law enforcement to draw close together and provide strength in a very difficult time. Turlock chaplains assisted at the scene on the day of the shooting and at the funeral, pictured to the left.

The most difficult days in law enforcement

Young men and women would not do the job of law enforcement unless they enjoyed many aspects of the job, and only if it came with a sense of calling. There are many aspects to the job that are difficult and unpleasant, none more so than the death of a fellow officer. Dave Grossman has studied the topic of Killology for a number of years and he has compared law enforcement officers to being the sheepdogs of our society. While most of the public is able to conduct daily activities in relative safety, the sheepdogs are on the alert for wolves who have little else on their minds other than preying on the sheep. The most difficult days of law enforcement, fortunately, are relatively rare. Of 900,000 law enforcement professionals in the United States, annually about 160 will give their lives in the line of duty. Perhaps it is the rarity and the reality coming together that make law enforcement funerals and memorials especially significant. Stanislaus County went nearly 30 years without a line of duty death, but in the past seven years, five of our law enforcement employees have died in the line of duty. A sober part of a difficult job, but one in which chaplains can provide support and a sense of continuity. They were remembered at the annual Law Enforcement Memorial on May 2 with Turlock chaplains in attendance.

TURLOCK RESPONDS
Just a few days after Deputy Paris death, Turlock Police were called to a local scene that ended in the death of a suspect. A group of young men were reported behaving suspiciously in a neighborhood, to which Turlock Police responded. In the course of the incident, one of the suspects pulled a gun at the police and was shot and killed. Turlock chaplains responded.

Supporting others in crisis takes involvement

Al Opdyke serves as a volunteer, on-call chaplain for the agencies dispatched through the Turlock dispatch center.
The call came in of a child drowning. The child was in the bathtub. The mother had asked her teen daughter to watch the bath room. drowned. When I arrived on scene the mother was sitting on the doorstep in deep grief crying hitting her head against an iron railing. I went over to the mother, sat beside her, and shielding her head with my arm, hugged her. There was nothing really to say or more I could do. After awhile I said to her: I cant imagine how terrible you are feeling, but I can feel and experience your anguish. Investigators needed to talk to Mom and I was able to get her to stand and we walked away from the doorway. Holding hands, we stood by one of the patrol cars. Later that afternoon, at a debriefing, one of the officers asked me: Al, how could you get the mother under control so quickly? I really dont know, I answered. His question bothered me. I kept asking myself how I could have answered him. Some days later I was reading an article about Native American healing. It was mentioned The daughter got distracted. The child how in some Native American cultures it is believed a member of the tribe is born to be a person who can absorb the pain and trauma of other members of the tribe. Through close personal contact, words of comfort and assurance, and prayer, a persons pain and grief can be withdrawn from the traumatized person. I thought, in critical incidents, this is what I tried to do in my 50 years of being a pastor and the past 12 years learning to be a chaplain. And then I thought, maybe this is something all of us can do. And, we dont have to be Native American, a pastor, or chaplain. The persons we pass in the halls of the police department, or sit with us at briefing or share office space or with whom we share family life and love, all of us have our times of distraction, stress, insecurity, pain, uncertainty, and feeling unloved or unlovable. Maybe we could notice in a persons eyes, or sense, or feel what those persons are feeling and experiencing. And then with a smile, a touch, a hug, some gesture of concern we could absorb part of the trauma and improve their day or maybe cause their lives to be a bit happier and hopeful. It does work. It could really make a difference. It will make a difference for us. Hopefully, AL

3rd Annual Fun Run Draws Over 150 To Support Chaplaincy

Several members of Turlock police joined runners of all different groups, from children, to even some four-footed friends, in the annual fund raiser staged from Crane Park.

BACK HOME AGAIN

Delivering death notifications for E-15

The Every Fifteen Minutes program at the area high schools is a re-enactment of a drunk-driving class involving classmates at Turlock high schools. During the first day, the crash is created in front of the juniors and seniors of the particular high school. This year it was Pitman High School. During the day, every 15 The chaplains are trained to make such notifications in a manner that it does not make the familys grief even more difficult. Through the communitys partnership with the Turlock Chaplaincy, there will be a presence of hope even at the darkest of times. minutes, a student is removed from class and their obituary is read to the remaining students. By the end of the day, about 20 students have been removed from the life of the school. What is not seen, until later, is the parents of the students receiving mock death notifications through the Turlock chaplains, accompanied by a police officer. The death notifications are made realistically and the emotional impact they carry is often remembered for years. The evening of the first day, the students go to an overnight retreat where they try to imagine what life would be like for their family and friends if they were gone. Simultaneously the parents are in a retreat where they try to put pen to paper, imagining what life would be like without their child. The chaplains often assist in either or both of the retreats. On the second day, a mock funeral service is conducted at the high school, again with all the juniors and seniors in attendance. A video is played of the prior days crash and Chaplains help deliver these mock notifications annually, but they also regularly assist the Turlock Police Department in delivering real death notifications. Here, there is no break from the reality of such a loss. all of the behind the scenes drama is revealed.

Making the transition back to Turlock

from Chico was made much simpler because of Turlock Chaplaincy. Turlock was home, yet home had changed in last eight and a half years. The staple elements were still there Mom and Dads house, softball at Pedretti Park, Fails Doughnuts and so on yet I could not seem to find many familiar footprints in my home turf. Turlock Chaplaincy gave me a great opportunity to bridge into this community and have the sense of familiarity that chaplaincy work affords. Coming from Chico Police Department made for a less than intimidating transition in that both departments are very comparable in size. The one major difference that I found in coming on with Turlock Chaplaincy was the manpower. In Chico we had 13 chaplains to fill the calendar; here, two men were meeting the need valiantly. I am very glad that today that number has doubled to four and I believe we are better suited to serve our community. The opportunities available to will continue to evolve as we, as a Chaplaincy, develop in our scope of service to the Central Valley. I am most optimistic about the work that Turlock Chaplaincy is involved in currently and I am proud to be a part of the things that are beginning to be conceptualized by those that have seen the fruit of this Chaplaincy in our community and the departments we serve. JOSE PEREZ

2012 Board of Directors

Tom Sperry, President Kathy Smith, Vice President Kellie Marshall, Past President Julie Andre, Treasurer Lloyd Ahlem Rick Adams Stan Carkeet Mike Rose Duck Allen

On-Call Chaplain Father Gerry Grossman

Serving those who serve is the motto of the Federation of Fire Chaplains. I am blessed to have been called to serve the Firefighters of Turlock and the community at large. The role of the Fire Chaplain is to give aid, comfort and help to firefighters and their families; to work toward the betterment of all areas of the fire and emergency service. As Police and Fire Chaplains in Turlock, our work is not limited to the area of fire and police departments: we also serve and support those who are the victims of crisis happenings. Our mission is to restore hope, bring clarity and often times, to begin a healing process. Firefighters are a special breed: while everyone else is looking for the nearest exit during an emergency they are rushing in. That type of first responder heroism carries with it a unique set of demands and stresses. Fire Chaplains are also first responder crisis intervention specialists. Not only am I available to assist in emergency situations; I function as a liaison with hospitals, provide spiritual guidance and confidential counseling, a link to the faith community, and other public and private duties as requested. Firefighters know all about pressure and valves as Fire Chaplain, I hope to be a valve through which they can express their thoughts, struggles and successes.

TURLOCK CHAPLAINCY, INC.

A 501 c(3) organization Donations accepted

P.O. Box 2865 Turlock, CA 95381 668-5550 ext. 6644 tpschaplain@turlock.ca.us