Advertise on podcast: Hey Chaplain: The Police Wellness Podcast

Text a Message to the Show Our guest today is Phil Reeves; Phil has been an actor in Los Angeles for decades but he has also been a police officer and is now a law enforcement chaplain and a vocal advocate for first responder chaplaincy.  This first part, I'm just going to introduce you to Phil and let him tell you how he went from Hollywood movie sets to law enforcement.  In part two, we'll talk about the hard parts of the job and what led him to becoming an advocate nationally for chaplaincy. Music is by Wes Hutchinson Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 139 Tags: Police, 9-11, Acting, Age, Career, Casting, Movies, Relationships, TV, Hollywood, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, California, Louisiana, New York Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show This is part two of my recent conversation with Jake the International Security Specialist Guy and if you haven't already listened to Ep 138 or when Jake was on the show last year in Ep 117, then stop what you're doing and go back and catch those episodes.  In this portion we are talking more about contingency planning with your family.  The specific context is what do you do if you're separated from your teenagers during an emergency in a foreign country, but really, this is practical advice for an emergency anywhere and even in a situation that is not a crisis yet but just requires some guidance so that your teen is prepared. Jake's previous episodes were Ep 117 and Ep 138 Music is by the Mini Vandals Hey Chaplain podcast episode 138.5 (part 2) Tags: Travel, Children, Contingencies, Connectivity, Disasters, Emergencies, Family, Hiking, Phones, Planning, Police, Rally Points, Safety, Technology, Teens, Mexico Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show Today, back by popular demand, is Jake the International Security Specialist Guy. This time I'm catching  up to him while he was at home in Thailand.  Jake has been doing security work in trouble spots all over the world and was gracious enough to drop in a let me pick his brain on several topics.  In this episode we're going to talk traveling in a country with civil unrest, demonstrations, and riots.  Jake's going to explain how to avoid trouble and take care of your family while the streets are shut down and the phone service is cut off.  You'll like hearing a cop like Jake talk about this stuff and, even if you're not leaving the country anytime soon, there's still a lot here you can apply to emergency situations at home. Music is by Cumbia Deli and by Nick Panek Hey Chaplain podcast episode 138 Tags: Travel, Avoidance, Civil Unrest, Family, Maps, Mobile Phones, News, OSINT, Olympics, Plans, Police, Protests, Riots, World Cup, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, France, India, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Tanzania, Vietnam Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show Police Social Workers are not a new concept but until now there's not been a nationwide standard for how they are trained or how they are employed alongside police officers.  Caroline Ban teaches at Valparaiso University and she has started the first public safety social work certificate program in the nation for people who have their masters in social work or are getting their MSW.  Caroline talks about the how social workers can add something valuable to the police team that I know you'll appreciate. Music is by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 137 Tags: Social Workers, Co-responders, Education, Embedding, Mental Health, Officer Wellness, Police, Professor, Training, University, St. Louis, Valparaiso, Indiana, Missouri  Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show This is a special bonus episode of Hey Chaplain recorded on site in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Officer Safety and Wellness Conference.  Chaplain Phil Reeves from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department was my partner in giving a presentation on embedding chaplains.  We recorded that talk and the Q&A that followed and I want to give you a few select cuts of what we did.  I also had the opportunity to hang out with some chaplains from California, Massachusetts, Colorado, and other states, so I'm going to throw in a few clips of those police chaplains saying hi to the Hey Chaplain audience. Music is by LesFM Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 49 Tags: Chaplaincy, Chaplains, Culture, Embedding, Expectations, IACP, Leadership, Podcasting, Police, Relationships, Standards, Kansas City, New Orleans, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show How do you know when to call it quits, especially if you're in the first half of your career?  It's incredibly difficult to give blanket advice because everyone and everyone's circumstances are unique and constantly changing.  For some officers, the best advice is wait a moment for the storm to pass.  For other officers it's time or maybe past time to get out.   Today we're talking to former deputy Josh Lively.  Josh started a promising career in law enforcement but soon discovered this might not be the career that fulfills his calling in life.  We're going to talk about the process of figuring out what to do when you're miserable as a police officer.  What does that mean?  How do you know what decision to make?  How far do you push it before you need to eject? My guess is that every police officer can sympathize with what you're going to hear Josh say.  But there are going to be distinct camps of listeners to this episode.  Those who hear Josh's story and  recognize it as their own.  And those who don't.  But I hope you listen to Josh's wisdom on this matter because we all know cops who need to stay and others for whom it is time to go. Josh's podcast is called the "Practically Christian Podcast" Music is by Chris Haugen and by Winking Fox Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 136 Tags: Career, Calling, Chaplain, Decision Making, Depression, Faith, Family, Health, Mental Health, Ministry, Police, Quitting, Sheriff Deputy, Support, Florida Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show This is Part 2 of our interview with Dennis Kleyh, Jr.  Part 1 was about defensive tactics and the differences in mindsets between veterans and the police recruits who have never been punched in the face.  But in putting that episode together, I was left with an equal portion of the interview where Dennis talked about his careers in the Marine Corps and law enforcement. Military careers and law enforcement careers can seem pretty random.  It's only the recruiters who have a clear idea of what your future will be like, your actual mileage may vary. But right here is some interesting wisdom, for good or ill, you don't know exactly where your military or police service may take you.  So let's use Dennis' story to look at that. CORRECTION: After I finished the first episode I discovered that I made a mistake, Dennis said Fourth Recon and I said Force Recon, and over the internet, neither of us heard the difference.  But I should have double checked, especially since it's clear as a bell now that I listen back to it.  Sorry about that!   Music is by the Mini Vandals Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 135 Part 2 Tags: Career, Leadership, Marines, Military Service, Police, Training, USMC, Veterans, Missouri, Afghanistan, Iraq Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show How would a defensive tactics class in the police academy be different for a combat veteran than for someone without that experience? Today's guest Dennis Kleyh. Sgt Major Kleyh spent 30 years with the Marine Corps and is now a police captain, with over twenty years of teaching defensive tactics in both settings. Today we talk about how the combat mindset is different than policing and why some people have trouble regaining control when the things get real. We talk about how to train people who have never been in a fight before and why we all might benefit if some people were just punched in the face. Music is by National Sweetheart and by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 135 Tags: Police, Calm, Defensive Tactics, Discipline, EID, Instructors, Leadership, Marines, Military Service, Self-Control, Training, USMC, Use of Force, Veterans, Missouri, Afghanistan, Iraq Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show This quarterly update episode looks at the Chaplaincy resolution from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).  Police Chief Jim Sutterby is our special guest host today. Jim was previously featured on episodes 003, 007, and 041. The IACP site that lists this resolution is https://www.theiacp.org/resolutions Music is by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Update Episode 1Q 2026 Tags: IACP, Chaplaincy Programs, Chaplains, Conferences, Law Enforcement, Police, Policies, Resolution, Standards, Wellness, New Orleans, Louisiana Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show We can't control everything in police culture and we certainly can't control how outsiders talk about police, but we can control our attitudes and our end of the relationships within the department.  Today's guest is Eric Tung, a police commander and the host of the podcast Blue Grit Radio.  Eric wants to talk about the empathy or lack thereof that exists between officers and between the officers and commanders.  How they communicate better and how each member of the team work to make the team better, regardless of outside influences. Eric's website: bluegritwellness.com and find Eric Tung on LinkedIn Music is by Wes Hutchinson Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 134 Tags: Police, Communication, Culture, Empathy, K9, Leadership, Loss, Nihilism, Peer Support, Podcast, Teamwork, Wellness, Seattle, Washington Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show This is a special bonus episode I'm calling the Pursuit Channel; here you can listen in to the excerpts of Hey Chaplain interviews that get cut for time or strayed off topic but are still worth a listen. In this episode I also talk about where I'll be IRL this year. Music is by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 48 Tags: Police, Addiction, Chaplains, Conferences, Podcasting, Purpose, Support, Kansas City, New Orleans, Spokane, Kansas, Louisiana, Washington Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show What happens when the cop who was taking down bad guys and drug addicts, becomes a drug addict…  for years… ruining everything and costing everything?  Today we're talking to Brock Bevell, a medically retired cop who lost everything to opioid addiction.  We're going to talk about the injuries, the pain, the addiction, the cost, and Brock's recovery.  If you think that your addiction is going to remain hidden where no one will ever find out about it, then you need to hear what Brock has to say. Music is by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 133 Tags: Police, Addiction, Commitment, Consistency, Detox, Doctors, Drugs, Fear, God, Identity, Injury, Medical Retirement, Pain, Prescriptions, Relationships, Shame, Undercover, Mesa, Arizona Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show Today we return to police officer JD Pettey to talk about what happens when an officer starts talking during someone else's tragedy and how badly that can go.  JD's family has had a number of serious tragedies and he was gracious enough to share those difficult memories with us because each story is an example of cops saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, even when they knew they were talking to a fellow police.  Obviously this is a sensitive conversation with discussion of suicide and other tragic deaths, but this is also one of my favorite conversations I've ever had with a police officer.  I think it was instructive, insightful, and even funny at times.  And we've all been there, when you need just the right words, and instead you put your foot your mouth. Music is by Alexander Nakarada and by National Sweetheart Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 132.5 Tags: Police, Accidents, Assumptions, Communication, Death Notifications, Family, Humor, Jargon, Loss, Professionalism, Suicide, Tragedy, Kansas City, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking about Crisis Intervention Teams and the work they do to free up police resources for other jobs.  Our guest today is a CIT officer and instructor I met at a training I went to this last year.  His name is JD Pettey and he's a thirty year officer with about a decade specifically working with co-responders (the community behavioral health liaisons) to help people in need because of addiction and mental health problems.  JD has a tremendous amount of experience and you're going to want to catch what he says is valuable about having officers who specifically specialize in CIT areas. Music is by Alexander Nakarada Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 132 Tags: CIT, Addiction, Army, Career, Co-Responders, Crisis, Mental Health, Police, Psychosis, Substance Abuse, Training, Veterans, Kansas City, Kansas, Missouri Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain

Text a Message to the Show In the first part of our conversation with Travis Yates, we talked about cowardly leadership.  If you didn't listen to that episode, go back and listen to it right now, it's episode 131.  This is the second part of that conversation where we veered off from the cowardly leadership conversation to the more specific conversation of how leadership affects officer safety.  And this is something that Travis is really passionate about -- I mean he really gets fired up here.  This is really isn't a space for political correctness; we're just kinda telling it like it is.  I have these conversations all the time, just not usually with a cop who has a doctorate in this stuff. Resources: Travis' website: travisyates.org Music is by National Sweetheart, by LesFM, and by Chris Haugen  Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 131.5 Tags: Police, Career, Cowardice, Courage, Leadership; Police Culture, Safety, Tulsa, Oklahoma Support the show Thanks for Listening!  And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: [email protected] You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain