Osage County Sheriff Mike Bonham has implemented a program he feels gives department employees access to someone "with an ear to listen to them without fear of reprisal."
The department has started a chaplain program which gives department members access to someone who knows what they go through on the job on a daily basis, Bonham said in a news release. Chaplains are encouraged to "ride-along" with officers to see firsthand what they deal with on the streets.
"Response to officers in crisis is the calling of our chaplains," Bonham said in the release. "It is difficult to stay up mentally and emotionally in the law enforcement profession when so much of what we do revolves around things that are tragic. We deal with the worst of society, and that includes when the worst are at their worst.
"Our chaplains assist our officers with stress intervention and management programs. Of course they are there, too, when our officers need someone outside the realm of their peers with whom to confide in."
Chaplains in this program spend time with each department within the sheriff's office at least one day a month. They also attend funerals of slain officers from other communities within a 300-mile radius, network with other agencies and their chaplains, work in partnership with officers by being a set of eyes/ears at a crime scene, and keep all conversations confidential unless instructed otherwise.
There are currently five chaplains in the program: Daryl Hostetler, Kenneth Miller, Dan Bauder, Lyn Witman and David Zuty
Bonaham said his department is looking to add more people to the chaplain group, and he will conduct the training. To find out more about applying to join the program, call the Osage County Sheriff's Department at 573-897-3927.