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Wally began his police chaplaincy in the middle of a blue ocean. It was an ocean of blue police uniforms during his first briefing! He asked himself, "What am I
doing in the middle of this group? Lord, are you sure you know what you are doing?"
Apparently, God did know what he was doing because Wally became the founding
chaplain of the Santa Monica, CA, Police Department in 1984. He was the associate
pastor at a local church and had gotten involved in crime prevention through
the neighborhood watch program. He became acquainted with the officers in
community relations and others who worked for the city.
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With the help of a fellow Christian who was a city employee, they began a Bible study at City Hall that
met during lunchtime. They called it the "Brown Bag Bible Study". While
at this study, Wally was approached with the idea of becoming a police chaplain.
After riding with chaplains from Redondo Beach P.D., and the Los Angeles
P.D., Wally became the first chaplain for the Santa Monica department. His first
assignment was crowd control at the World Olympics in Los Angeles. With
fond memories, Wally stated, "That's where I first met my sea of blue."
After
four years, he moved to Illinois where he became the chaplain of
the local police department. They had a total of five officers! A couple of years
later, Wally moved to Oregon to pursue his masters in counseling psychology.
That's when he became involved with Officer Alive!, eventually becoming the chaplain
at Beaverton.
Wally sees chaplaincy as missionary work to a
sub-culture known as law enforcement. "In many ways, they operate in a different
world, in a close-knit family. Not just anyone is let inside. But when you make
it inside, the rewards are plentiful," says Wally. He points out that he has
received more support and genuine appreciation from officers than any other group.
He also finds it rewarding to know that he has helped an officer during a
time of personal trauma, affording the officer the opportunity to get back on his
or her feet and continue their service to the community.
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