Hey Chaplain: The Police Wellness Podcast

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today I'm talking to Mike Edwards, better known as "Mike the Cop."  Mike is a former LEO and a well-known humorist, podcaster, and social media personality with half a million YouTube subscribers and a million Facebook followers who read his posts and watch his sketch comedy. I wanted to talk to Mike about how to transition out of law enforcement,...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail In this second half of the Kansas City Mafia interview, you don't want to miss Gary Jenkins zeroing in the Kansas City Mafia family, the Civella family.  He explains the rise and fall of the Civellas and how both the mafia and law enforcement evolved in the decades after World War 2.  We'll talk about unions, casinos, and wiretaps (which overlaps with t...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're diving into the history of the Kansas City Mafia with mafia expert and former KCMO detective, Gary Jenkins. In this, the first of two parts, Gary takes us from Ellis Island immigration through World War 2, discussing Prohibition, the Pendergast Machine, carpet joints, narcotics, gambling, and the mafia connection to politicians and other corrupti...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're bringing back Matt Domyancic; he's a former LEO and a police chaplain in California and was previously a guest on episode number 018.  I was eager to bring him back to talk about "patrol chaplaincy," a term we're using here to describe the chaplaincy work specifically focused on the wellness of the rank and file in law enforce...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail In this special bonus episode, you will hear an interview I did this year with a podcaster from the UK. This is NOT a paid advertisement of any kind, rather it is an episode worth hearing from a podcast that I believe is worth your time.  The next voice you hear will be Claire Sandys from the silent Why podcast, which is a fantastic show about different kinds of...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail There is an entire field of investigation that focuses solely on the body of the deceased, how to identify them and how to determine the cause and manner of death.  A lot of this work happens at the Medical Examiners office.  So today we're talking to Shaun Hachinsky, the Deputy Chief Investigator at the Jackson County ME's Office, in Kansas City, Misso...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're talking about use of force and the experience of going through a critical incident where force is used.  These areas are regularly misunderstood by outsiders.  So one of my goals here is for you to hear use of force explained to an outsider like me so that you can better explain it when you're on the hot seat and someone is asking you why di...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail In this episode you'll hear stories about the rescue of children.  When a first responder encounters a child in danger it can be some of the most emotionally taxing work he or she will ever do.  It's so emotionally charged that we sometimes want to avoid even talking about it.  But let me encourage you to brace yourself and listen to these firsthand acc...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're talking to a pair of forensic nurses.  Their names are Morgan and Sarah and they are the Forensic Nurses in a two different hospitals in the Midwest.  A forensic nurse has special training to examine victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes.  It takes a tremendous amount of professional skill, empathy, and personal resiliency to do this...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're talking to a recently retired detective from Scotland Yard, former Detective Inspector Steve Keogh.  Steve spent 30 years working as a cop in London, much of that as a detective investigating murders and other violent crime, as well as the first suicide bombings in the UK.  Steve's passion was solving murders by understanding the mindset and...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail On this show, you'll hear people from across the whole spectrum of law enforcement talk about officer wellness: from dispatchers and federal agents, to Sheriffs and US Marshals, as well as local detectives and patrolmen in my hometown of Kansas City.  From the LAPD to Scotland Yard, "Hey Chaplain" delivers advice and insights so that police officer...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail This episode marks the beginning of our second year so I wanted to go back and do a little follow up with some of my past guests.  In this episode we talk about promotions, bag pipes, when to leave law enforcement, and much more.  If you missed a guest's original episode, follow the link here in the show notes. Links and resources : Gregg Dorsett, Ep 004:  h...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail We are joined again by Law Enforcement Chaplain Debra Fontes from Sacramento, California.  Debra previously talked to us about Moral Injury in Episode 020 and today she tells us all about Police Week: the memorials, the vigils, the compassion and the camaraderie that sees police and the families of fallen officers come together at the local, state, and national l...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're talking about a program to take veterans and first responders to the ocean and teach them how to surf.  It's an organization called SWEL and it was created by a an experienced cop who saw the value in surfing to promote health and wellness for other first responders.  His name is Rob Sanderson and he dropped by my office with a huge smile on...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail How do you do a ride along?  Today we talk to Jeremiah Holcomb, a new chaplain who just completed his first ride along.  Ride alongs are all about building the relationship between the chaplain and police officers.  It's perhaps the best way for chaplains to genuinely experience their world, increasing understanding and building rapport and trust. The Ride A...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're talking to Suzie Sawyer, the founder of Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS).  She tells us how as a law enforcement spouse in the 1970's and later, she took charge and met a need that law enforcement culture was failing to do on its own.  With her great sense of humor and purpose, she relates the inspirational story of how she built an organ...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail This episode reveals a previously unheard portion of our interview with David Renfro, from Episode 016.  Today he talks about the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID).  The United States Army Criminal Investigation Division is a federal law enforcement agency within the Army which investigates felonies and provides Secret Service-like VIP protection on and...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail GK Chesterton said, “A clergyman may be apparently as useless as a cat, but he is also as fascinating, for there must be some strange reason for his existence.”  So if you're confused about what a chaplain is or what a chaplain does, join the crowd! Today we look at some of the misunderstandings police have about chaplains. Co-hosting the show is Captain Joe...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Helping others may be the calling on your life but it comes at a cost.  There is a condition called compassion fatigue, or sometimes secondary traumatization, where the emotional strain of working with those who have been traumatized begins to accumulate and affect our health.  Basically, helping others builds up a residue which, if not dealt with in a healthy wa...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today we're talking about the difficult subject of money.  A key component of officer wellness is financial wellness.  But many officers find themselves stuck in the overtime cycle, working an unholy number of hours, just to stay afloat, just to pay the monthly bills.  Financial stress leads to a host of other problems which can then snowball out of control,...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail This shouldn't surprise anyone but cops want to catch bad guys.  And when I talk to cops they routinely tell war stories describing how they ran someone down, wrestled them into submission, and heroically made the arrest.  Naturally, these fights occupy a lot of headspace.  Officers spend a lot of time training for it, they carry equipment, on their person,...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today I'm talking to Major Ryan Miller from the Overland Park Kansas Police Department.  Ryan just returned home a few months ago from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.  The National Academy is an executive leadership training program for law enforcement professionals and Ryan is going to give us a look inside to see what the "NA" is...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today I want to share with you the story of Doug Monda.  Doug was a Florida cop who, after being injured, suddenly had the weight of the job collapse in on him, driving him to despair and, eventually, to putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger.  Doug survived and today he walks us through his compelling story, how he survived, and how he then wanted to...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail Today I'm taking you to the other side of the police radio, to the communications center, to talk about dispatchers.  We'll discuss what's happening during a 911 call from the point of view of the call taker and dispatcher.  And we'll ask what do officers sometimes not understand about the job of the person on the other side of the radio?  And...

Text the Show or Leave a Voicemail In the past we've have a limited way to talk about trauma and distress which was helped over 40 years ago when we began using the term PTSD in some situations.  But this term doesn't fully cover what every first responder might be going through and I want to introduce you to some of these newer terms and concepts. My guest today is Debra Fontes.  She is...