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.

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.