PROTECT WITH RESPECT

By Cathy C. Bertrand
After a mass shooting in a small Texas Church near San
Antonio, Galveston, Texas Police Chief Richard Boyle
and his officers are on high alert to protect their small
island town.
They may have a head start over others. For many
years, the Galveston Police Department has been educating
citizens and collaborating with clergy to protect
their community. Now, there are enhancing programs to
include training clergy and church members to act as first
responders in emergencies.
In September 2017, the Texas legislature passed a
law allowing houses of worship to have armed volunteer
security teams. Churches can also decide to allow members
who are licensed to carry weapons into places of
worship.
Galveston Police Chief Richard Boyle says you have
got to have a dialogue with people to assure them that
“we are unified with them in protecting our town. We
manage situations better, when we know people.” He
said. We’ve worked to establish trust among each other,
and with those we serve.”
Programs like the Galveston’s Police Academy, the
Cops and Clergy Prayer Breakfasts and the Galveston
Police Department Volunteer Chaplain Program are
examples of this trust. Galveston Special Operations
Sergeant Destin Sims, and director of the department’s
Citizen Police Academy says educating citizens and
building relationships with the public is “essential to
building a safer community.”
“For some time we have invited clergy from all faiths
to provide input to connect police with the community.
Pastors, Rabbis, Catholic Priests and Muslim Clerics are
invited to attend a monthly prayer breakfast to discuss
topics like racism, prejudice, profiling, use of force, security
and crisis management.” As Galveston police help
clergy and their members to protect themselves , the
clergy minister to the police.
Todd Doctor, a full time Rabbi at Beth Jacob Synagogue
in Galveston and an assistant Galveston Volunteer
Police Chaplain Coordinator, said police must protect
themselves as they prepare to protect others. A member
of the International Conference of Police Chaplains,
Doctor is certified in Crisis and Psychological training
for chaplains. “We provide an outlet for officers to talk
openly. This helps reduce stress. We let police do police
work and support them with our efforts.”
Some clergy go beyond monthly gatherings to serve
as volunteer police chaplains riding on shifts with
police. Reverend Roland H Johnson III is one of them.
An ordained Baptist minister and member of sociology
teaching faculties for several Texas colleges and universities,
Johnson was at one time wheelchair bound due to
spinal disease. “When I went to the Galveston Citizens
Police Academy, they wouldn’t let me ride along in a
patrol car,” he said. “We agreed that if I could walk without
a cane, they would let me ride. The day my Doctor
prescribed leg braces, I got in a police car to serve as a
volunteer chaplain.” Today, Johnson is the department’s
volunteer ride-along chaplain coordinator and crime victim
liaison.
“The police station is my church,” he said. “We honor
people of all faiths, creeds and colors. We provide
spiritual guidance and emotional support to officers,
staff and the Galveston community.” Chief Boyle echoes
Johnson’s resolve. “It works both ways,” he said “We all
have a golden opportunity to prove that people really can
live well together within a community. Unity is the best
weapon we have to protect against violence and to make
positive changes.”