Six members of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Corps recently attended a Regional Training Seminar in Branson, MO. The seminar was hosted and sanctioned by the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC), which is the certifying organization for all OPSO Chaplains. Courses of instruction included Death Notification, Stress Management, Ethics, Responding to Crisis Situations, and Officer Death/Injury. The chaplains who were in attendance included: Chaplain Don Banks, Chaplain Johnny Holyfield, Chaplain Jeff Luellen, Chaplain Andy Myrick, Chaplain Gregg Riley, and Chaplain Billy Taylor.
Among the attendees of the seminar was Sergeant Matthew Hill, who is currently assigned to the Uniformed Patrol Division. Though not a chaplain, he was asked by the ICPC to share some of his thoughts with those in attendance by teaching one of the elective courses. Sergeant Hill, who is the author of the recently released book, Blue Attitudes, spoke to the chaplains about how kindness, mercy, and forgiveness can be effective tools for police officers.
“As police officers, we are constantly surrounded by tragic and evil circumstances, and a byproduct of those circumstances is bitterness. I wanted to give the chaplains a message, from a street cop’s perspective, which could be shared with the officers they serve,” says Sgt. Hill. “It is my hope that police officers can learn not to hang onto bitterness, which is something that I have struggled with during my career. We have to learn to let mercy and forgiveness be at the forefront of our minds and let God be our Guide.”
In addition to teaching one of the classes, Sergeant Hill led devotions on the last morning of the seminar. He shared his perspective from the time that OPSO lost one of their own, Cpl. J.R. Searcy, in the line of duty and how the chaplain corps provided comfort and support. “These guys are there when we need them and I wanted to give back by giving some encouragement to the chaplains at the seminar. I wanted them to know that they have a purpose and how important it is for them to continue to serve in their ministry.”
The Chaplain Corps has been active since the inception in 1994 and has grown under the administration of Sheriff Jay Russell. Sheriff Russell recognizes the importance of the program and the positive impact it has on the Department and the citizens of Ouachita parish.
