EAST BRUNSWICK — Five chaplains have been trained to assist the East Brunswick Police Department when they are responding to serious and tragic calls.
This is one of the ways the department attempts to break down barriers with its residents, according to Deputy Chief William Krause.
“We have had a chaplain program here in the Police Department, but for years it has been ceremonial,” Krause said at a Nov. 10 Township Council meeting. “When we hold a swearing-in ceremony … chaplains will always come and say a prayer before and after.”
At the meeting, Krause was joined by the head police chaplain, Rabbi Jay Weinstein of Young Israel of East Brunswick, as they outlined ways that the chaplains will now become more hands-on, including assisting officers with death notifications and comforting families following tragic situations.
“We, as leaders in the community, have an obligation to remind our citizens that our police officers are here as resources and partners for us in the community,” Weinstein said.
“Oftentimes we see them as people at a distance, people who we are afraid of. [We want to] make people understand that everyone who is wearing a badge is doing it because they want to help and make a difference.”
Weinstein said he has already participated in a ride-along where he was able to gain an understanding of a police officer’s perspective.
The five chaplains — consisting of Weinstein, as well as four pastors — received basic police chaplain training through the Police Chaplain Program of New Jersey last year. At the three-day training, the chaplains learned about core areas of the law enforcement field.
According to Patrolman Craig Hoover, police liaison to the chaplain program, it is important for the chaplains to come face-toface with the issues that police officers are regularly confronted with.
“They get shown some gruesome images to see if they can handle that part,” Hoover said. “Because when we go to accidents where people are killed, unfortunately, that’s where we’re going to need a chaplain sometimes. If they can’t deal with the gore of it, then they may not be suited toward being that extended chaplain.”
Hoover said having a chaplain is an asset, as police officers do not always have the time to talk to families when they are handling other responsibilities at the scene.
He also said the chaplain program is nondenominational.
“They’re not referred to as father or rabbi or anything like that, because when they’re being called out [to the scene], they’re being called out … as a counselor and a confidante, more than the spiritual side. They bring [their religious background] with them a little bit, but we want them to be able to speak to a family that may not be of the Jewish faith, but can still speak with Rabbi Weinstein.”
Only if a family requests a specific denomination will the Police Department call on a specific chaplain, Hoover said.
While the chaplains will minister to members of the community, they will also serve a vital role for the well-being of police officers.
“They’re also here for us as police officers,” Hoover said. “Because quite often, as a profession … we kind of internalize a lot of our issues sometimes. That’s why the police profession has a very high suicide rate, a very high alcoholism rate, a very high divorce rate.
“So if our officers themselves are having some problems, by having their chaplains around the Police Department a little more, we get to know them as a friend and as a confidante.”
According to Chaplain Gary Holden, executive director of the Police Chaplain Program in New Jersey, chaplains in 28 municipalities have completed the training program. The program comes at no cost to the township.
To learn more about the chaplain program, call Patrolman Craig Hoover at 732-390- 6938 or email him at [email protected].