Orange County Sheriff's Office: Chaplaincy Program
Contact Information
Captain Miguel Pagan
Phone: 4072547064
Fax: 4072547066
E-mail: miguel.pagan@ocfl.net
2500 W. Colonial Dr
Orlando, FL 32804
United States
North America
Program Description
Chaplaincy Program
Helping Law Enforcement and the Community Through the Hard Times
A chaplain can be one of the most important members of the Sheriff's Office. Today, more than ever, law enforcement agencies need religious guidance, counseling and assistance for law enforcement professionals, their families and the communities they serve.
Clergy are trained to fill this need. No one is confronted with more situations that can demoralize and create emotional, mental and spiritual burdens than the law enforcement professional.
In many respects the criminal justice profession is more emotionally challenging than physically dangerous and every employee of the agency, regardless of responsibility is affected. Contemporary agencies are now providing routine counseling to help employees handle the emotional stress involved in the job. A concerned Sheriff wants to take care of his/her staff.
The Chaplain is a visible reminder that we are dealing with people....... human beings, whether it is a law enforcement officer, citizen, clergy, clerical worker, the Sheriff or even an incercerated person. The chaplains point out to us that we are all God's creation and deserve to be treated with respect.
There are four specific areas of the chaplaincy:
Chaplaincy Liaison: These chaplains are appointed by the Sheriff to supervise the Chaplaincy and serve as a liaison to area associations.
Field Chaplain: These chaplains must possess an ecclesiastical certification and must be ordained or licensed as a Minister with a minimum of three to five years of direct experience in the ministry. They must attend recommended OCSO training to obtain Field Chaplain status. Field chaplains need to be available to respond on a 24-hours basis in the event of an emergency
Associate Chaplain: Same qualifications as a field chaplain only lacking the ecclesiastical requirements, and/or the applicable academics required of the field chaplains.
Honorary Chaplain: Honorary chaplains are appointed by the Sheriff as he deems necessary and may be ministers and/or lay persons who wish to promote and support the welfare of the law enforcement community. Honorary chaplains receive a certificate of appointment only. No uniform will be issued.
The Chaplain Application Process
Complete a civilian application and submit to the Chaplain Liaision. The application can be obtained from the HRD office at 2500 W. Colonial Drive or downloaded from our website www.ocso.com
Application will be reviewed by the Chaplain Liaison, Chaplain Training Coordinator and the Chaplain Squad Coordinators.
Voice Stress Analysis Test
Psychological Evaluation
Background Investigation
Review of Sponsorship Letter. All chaplains are required to have a sponsoring organization, church or authority.
Chaplain Interview
Orientation
Agency Information
Date established: January 1980
Number of volunteers: 36
Hours volunteers contributed last year: 3,800
Last updated: 5/9/2008
Categories
Chaplain Corps