A Day in the Life of a Police Chaplain

Full time Church of God Police Chaplain, Terry Wigley, was asked, “What is an average day for a police chaplain really like?” His reply was, “There are no average days. Every day is filled with new challenges and opportunities for ministry. Challenges are those events that demand my undivided attention and most often a quick response. Opportunities are those times that I can make a difference in someone’s life.”

The following stories are from Chaplain WIgley’s personal experiences as a member of the staff of the Saraland Police Department, Saraland, Alabama.

Chaplain wigley

Chaplain Wigley

“It was 11:30 P.M. and I had just turned in for the night when my police radio next to my bed alerted me to a Code 8, which is an accident with injuries. The accident was about a mile from where I live, I quickly put on my uniform and rushed to the scene. When I arrived, I noticed two officers along with firefighters at the entrance of the Interstate. They advised me that they had to evacuate from the scene due to the danger of explosion. A tanker truck had struck the rear of an automobile that had pulled onto the roadway in front of him, and the impact had caused the car gasoline tank to rupture, causing a fire to engulf the automobile. The driver of the truck escaped but the driver of the automobile was unable to get out. The truck driver advised the rescue people that the tanker was loaded with a chemical that was extremely dangerous and could explode. We were then instructed to stand by and that no one was allowed near the scene until a team from Texas could be flown in. The entire interstate was shut down.

For the next several hours I had to wait with those frustrated first responders who were trained to rescue, but because of the extreme dangers, were not allowed to do their job. . It was a difficult time for everyone there as we stood by helplessly waiting. We all felt an extreme amount of anxiety, while still focusing on the welfare and safety of the public at large and those at the scene. When the night finally ended the long process of determining the identity of the victims begin. Someone somewhere was waiting for a message about their loved ones that they did not want to hear.

The very next night at approximately the same time I was alerted to a truck and motor-cycle accident. The young rider was critically injured and taken to a local hospital. It was the son of the Sergeant that was on duty the night before. Still dealing with the issues of the accident from the night before, he was now faced with a very personal situation. The Sergeant was in need of some very special attention from the chaplain. After weeks of surgery after surgery the prognosis was given–his son would never walk again. We continued in daily prayer for the young man and then moved to praise for God saving this young man’s life. Now, with the chaplain’s encouragement, everyone moved in the direction of recovery.

Another incident happened about one year ago, when the Saraland Police Department suffered the loss of one of their officers in the line of duty. Corporal Anthony (Tony) Andrews suffered a massive heart attack while on duty. Corporal Andrews was only 33 years old. I saw Tony at 5:30 p.m. the night before he died. I was going home after duty when I saw a disabled vehicle in the middle of the highway. Needing assistance to clear the highway I called in to the department while I maintained traffic control. The officer that responded was Cpl. Andrews who had just come on duty. He was just beginning his long stress laden twelve hour shift. Officer Andrews immediately took charge and pushed the car to the side of the road using his patrol car. I waved from across the street at him and yelled for him to be careful that I would see him later.

Early the next morning I received a call from the station. The dispatcher on duty was very upset and informed me that Officer Andrews was down. She said he’s not breathing, the officers on scene were doing CPR, but it wasn’t helping. I hurried to the scene just as the ambulance was leaving with Tony. Firefighters, EMT’s, and Officers were all standing there in disbelief and shock. One of the officers asked me to lead them in prayer for Tony. We all prayed together in a circle holding hands. After prayer I went to Tony’s home to notify his wife. When I told her that Tony had been transported to the hospital she immediately began to focus on her children and their welfare before she left for the hospital. I then went to the home of Tony’s parents. His Dad is a retired police officer from the City of Mobile.

For one week Tony was on total life support. My boss, the Police Chief, told me to focus my attention on Tony and the continuous flow of friends, family, police officers from other agencies, and fellow soldiers from his tour in the Gulf War. Tony was a two year veteran of the Gulf War and had made many friends. This was also a difficult time for me as the Police Chaplain in that I had just returned to duty following prostate cancer and was scheduled for radiation treatments. However, I felt like I needed to be with the family and the imminent death that they would be facing very soon. I knew in my heart that God would take care of me. It was an amazing time of ministry.

Following the death of Corporal Andrews funeral plans were made and Saraland, Alabama, experienced one of the largest funerals in its history with the procession extending for miles. The Attorney General from Alabama was there, along with hundreds of Police Officers from State, County, Federal, and surrounding states. Again, it was opportunity for extraordinary ministry.

Within forty eight hours of Tony’s death I was contacted and asked to put together a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team (CISDT). I called on two other full-time law enforcement chaplains, Chaplain Ronny Pierce of the Mobile County Sheriffs Department, and Chaplain Jerry Brown, full-time chaplain for the City of Mobile. These two men did a great job assisting us in our time of need. It has been a little over a year and we are still seeing results of this ministry.

Being a full-time paid law enforcement chaplain affords me opportunity to serve the local community in ways that I could not do behind the walls of my local church. Police Chaplaincy has allowed me to minister to the city as a whole and I am always available to assist our citizens, travelers, or those affected by disaster or tragedy. I am considered a Public Relations Officer because of my high visibility and I am constantly stopped and asked questions concerning our city.

So when someone asks, “What does a chaplain do?” I usually say, “Everything!” The toughest part of my job as a Law Enforcement Chaplain is breaking bad news to people. Fatal accidents, suicides, murder, means that I am going to someone’s home, places of employment, schools, etc., on a regular basis to inform them that their loved one is not coming home.

Police Chaplaincy touches people across the spectrum of human circumstances. There will always be someone out there in need of care. At anytime day or night, my phone may ring, and I never know just what or who it might be. I may be responding to a fatal traffic crash, someone threatening suicide, a hostage situation, an injured officer, rescuing an abandoned child, a death notification, or the most potentially dangerous of all – a domestic violence scene.”

I have personally been the victim of Hurricane’s such as Katrina, where I had to focus on the needs of others rather than my own family. I’ve gone door to door following a tornado to assist those that were suffering from the storm. What does a Chaplain do? He or she must be ready to do whatever you can to help those in need. As a Police Chaplain my ministry to others is a public trust.

Thank God for the Church of God Chaplains Commission for making available the training and certification for me to follow my heart in ministry to others “outside the gates.” I have been blessed to serve God by serving others.

As well as a full-time Police Chaplain, Terry Wigley also serves as the Senior Pastor of the Saraland Church of God, Saraland, Alabama. Chap Wigley is an Ordained Bishop in the Church of God.

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