A ministry of presence

Torus Tammer

There is a big part of the Fountain Valley Police Department that is

appreciated but not often talked about.

More than seven years ago, a chaplain service was added to further

assist the community and its officers.

“Before the chaplain program’s inception in 1993, we would have

incidents where a natural or a violent death would occur where we have

felt the need to have well-established and understanding chaplains

available to aid not only the victims, but the officers too,” said

Fountain Valley Police Capt. Bob Mosely.

The program has representatives who hail from various faiths and

always do the best they can to try to cover the religious spectrum, said

Rabbi Stephen Einstein of the Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Fountain

Valley.

The chaplain program includes such faiths as Mormon, Christian

Orthodox, Methodist, Baptist, Assembly of God and Judaism, he said.

“Although we have several representatives of varying faiths, we really

function in a nondenominational way,” Einstein said. “We are really there

to provide an ear for police officers who work pretty long and tough

hours, so it’s nice to be there for them.”

The chaplains interface with community members, especially when there

is a death, and the officers say it is necessary for someone to comfort

the family, he added.

“That is the sad part of the job,” he said. “But fortunately for

Fountain Valley, crime is low, and that is partly due to the city’s good

policing.”

A chaplain’s work hours vary.

For instance, Father Wayne Wilson of St. Barnabas Orthodox Church in

Costa Mesa rides along with officers once a week. Others are on a

once-a-month or on-call basis. When they do ride along, it’s usually for

a 12-hour shift.

As far as the work description of a chaplain, Einstein said it’s about

being a supportive and positive influence to the officer and remind them

that there is a good side to people.

“What it isn’t is to try and get the police officer to adopt a point

of view which they don’t have,” Einstein said. “I like to just serve as

an extra set of eyes for them and talk about the issues.”

From an officer’s standpoint, Mosely said the ride-along program

allows chaplains to get to know officers and vice versa.

“It has been a real help for the citizens, as well as the officers,”

Mosely said. “They meet here once a month and are generally just freely

invited into the department. They get a chance to see what it’s like for

us and, in turn, can communicate our goals and our work and that we

care.”