Police chaplains assist police agency personnel with personal, spiritual, moral, and ethical consultation. Police chaplains are clergy whose function is to provide support and guidance to department employees and their families and to enhance the holistic wellness of those employees upon request. Working in conjunction with other agency resources—such as a peer support team and/or other behavioral health and wellness programs—police chaplains are meant to be an additional resource for support and to complement other support networks. Police chaplains can also function as a liaison to the local faith-based community to provide support during major events or crisis situations.

This document is intended to provide police agencies with guidance for developing policies regarding the development and implementation of police chaplain programs.