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Hey Chaplain: The Police Wellness Podcast
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Hey Chaplain: The Police Wellness Podcast

Author: Jared Altic

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The Hey Chaplain podcast is where cops  encourage each other by sharing their wisdom and experience with the Chaplain. On Hey Chaplain you'll hear from dispatchers and federal agents, Sheriffs and US Marshals, as well as local detectives and patrolmen. From the LAPD to Scotland Yard, the guests on Hey Chaplain deliver advice and insights so that police officers everywhere can survive and thrive. The host, Jared Altic, has almost 30 years of experience serving and counseling military and law enforcement families. The show looks at both the humorous and traumatic sides of police life, sharing wisdom to create healthy cops both at work and at home. New podcast episodes about police life and chaplaincy are available on first, third, and fifth Mondays of each month. Look for occasional special bonus episodes! Share this podcast with a cop or someone who loves a cop.

172 Episodes
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Text a Message to the Show Today we have part two of our conversation with a medically retired police officer from the United Kingdom, Ken Anderson. After a brief recap of the life-saving encounter he had on an edge of cliff in the moment before he would take his own life, we'll rejoin the conversation with Ken and talk about the aftermath and his new mission to de-stygmatize the conversation about mental health. This episode contains discussion of depression that leads to a suicide a...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to a medically retired police officer from the United Kingdom named Ken Anderson. Ken was a patrol officer, an instructor, and also a firearms officer in Leeds, England. But an accident on the job set him down a path that would eventually lead to him standing on a sea cliff, ready to end his life by throwing himself over the edge. In part one, we're going to get to know Ken, talk about his career, the accident, and the attempt to take his life. I...
Text a Message to the Show It's mailbag time! Use the link above to leave a comment or a question and we might use it on a future show! Music is by PineApple Music Hey Chaplain Update Episode 1Q 2025 Tags: Chaplaincy, Bible College, Chaplains, Clinical Pastoral Education, CPE, Education, Law Enforcement, Mail, Preparation, Seminary, Theology, Training, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: Apple P...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to Anthony Baumgart; he's a former local and state level narcotics agent who worked in California. Tony had almost 30 years in law enforcement, but when it came for his last day at work, he experienced a failure in leadership that sometimes happens in law enforcement. You risk your life and give decades of hard work, only to be shown the door… almost like they're glad to be rid of you. Today we talk about working at a state agen...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking again to Deborah Green; she was a California dispatcher for almost 30 years and in Part 1 of this interview she told about how she dispatched her deputies to a middle of the night call at a marijuana grow in the forests of California where they were ambushed by drug cartel gunmen. Make sure you go listen to Part 1 to hear how it all went down. In this second part of the interview we will look at the aftermath of the shooting and what the fa...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to Deborah Green; she was a California dispatcher for almost 30 years and has a compelling story to tell. She dispatched her deputies to a middle of the night call at a marijuana grow in the forests of California where they were ambushed by drug cartel gunmen. The story itself is remarkable but I wanted you to hear this one because it's told from the point of view of the dispatcher. In part two of the interview we will look at t...
Text a Message to the Show On this special Bonus Episode we are revisiting the interviews I did last fall with three sergeants from the department that I serve. They collectively have 70 years of combined service and every time I asked another question, they just kept dropping more wisdom that I knew you'd want to hear. The officers interviewed are Master Sgt Angie Joyce, Senior Sgt Paul Simonich, and Senior Sgt Kyle Hickerson. Part 1 of this interview was Bonus Episode 3...
Text a Message to the Show On today's episode we are talking to an Army doctor, Colonel Skip Mondragon. The good doctor is a championship wrestler, a combat veteran, a medical doctor, and also a man who has battled depression. It has become the Colonel's mission to help tough guys ask for help, something that he struggled with first hand and so he knows what he's talking about. We are going to talk about depression, Adverse Childhood Experiences, running a hospital in a comb...
Text a Message to the Show A special guest host interviews Chaplain Altic to recap the year! Police Major Joe Grasela joins Jared to give us a recap of their favorite moments from the 2024 Hey Chaplain episodes. Listen in to find out what were the most noteworthy episodes of the year; also included are the top 10 listener countries and cities. And don't miss a sneak peek of what topics and interviews will be coming down the pike in 2025 and beyond! Episodes directly referenced i...
Text a Message to the Show This is just a quick Christmas update to read a few reviews of the show, encourage you to write your own, and share a quick Christmas greeting. Guest host Kaleb Sackett joins Chaplain Altic again to help us out and this time Kaleb is sharing a greeting he wrote. Music is by Kevin MacLeod Hey Chaplain Update Q4 2024 Tags: Christmas, Chaplaincy, Family, Goodness, Parenting, Patrol, Podcasting, Police, Prayer, Ratings, Support, Virtue, Writing, Kansas City, ...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking about technology! Drones, Artificial Intelligence, Body Worn Cameras and more are proliferating through police departments at a rapid rate and I find the whole topic just fascinating. So our guest for this episode is Captain Richard Breshears who is the captain over the technology unit in a police department here in the Kansas City metro area. We get to hear from him what cool things technology is doing in law enforcement and where it may go in t...
Text a Message to the Show This is Part 2 of the interview, go back to Episode 100 to hear the first part. Is this a hostile takeover? No, it's just one of my patrol sergeants commandeering the podcast in order to ask me questions about my background, education, and family. Paul Simonich is one of my patrol sergeants and he appeared previously in Bonus Episode 38. Music by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain podcast episode 100.5 Tags: Chaplains, Attitude, Behavioral Health, Choi...
Text a Message to the Show Is this a hostile takeover? No, it's just one of my patrol sergeants commandeering the podcast in order to ask me questions about my background, education, and family. Paul Simonich is one of my patrol sergeants and he appeared previously in Bonus Episode 38. Music by Chris Haugen. Hey Chaplain podcast episode 100 Tags: Chaplains, College, Education, Family, Hometown, Police, Seminary, Training, Joplin, Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, Kansas, Missouri Sup...
Text a Message to the Show On this special Thanksgiving Bonus Episode I asked three sergeants from the department that I serve to come talk to me about gratitude and the perspective that younger officers need to have to be successful in law enforcement. The officers interviewed are Master Sgt Angie Joyce, Senior Sgt Paul Simonich, and Senior Sgt Kyle Hickerson. Music is by LesFM Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 38 Tags: Police, Career, Education, Friendship, Gratitude, Hope, Leadership, Serge...
Text a Message to the Show This is a special milestone episode: number 099 (of the enumerated main episodes)! So here are ninety-nine ideas that I have not yet made into podcast episodes. Enjoy the look into the future publishing schedule and please keep an eye out for a topic for which you may be able to assist in making contact with a good interviewee. Message me or email me! Music is by Kevin McLeod and by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain podcast episode 099 Special thanks to...
Text a Message to the Show Steve Kellams from Blue Canary has devoted this season of his show to leadership topics and he brought me on to talk about informal leadership, because as a chaplain I have influence but no actual authority. We ended up talking about several wellness topics and some of my philosophy of chaplaincy as well as why I started Hey Chaplain. I asked Steve if I could use a condensed version of the interview and he agreed, so this a slightly shorter version of ou...
Text a Message to the Show In this episode we're talking to police Chief Kendra Brown. She's one of over 300 police chiefs in America who happen to be women. She's also happens to be a former participant in the Miss America pageants – not the usual starting place for most cops. So I wanted to talk to Chief Brown about being a woman in the hyper-masculine field of law enforcement and what advice she has for surviving and then excelling in this job, especially when people are ...
Text a Message to the Show Every cop has a bump in the night story; sometimes those bumps happen in broad daylight. Today I'm talking to a veteran homicide and cold case detective from Kansas City named Stuart LIttlefield. Detective Littlefield was recommended to me because he's a great story teller with a great story that might actually include an encounter with a ghost. Even if you don't believe in that kind of thing, it seems that as human beings we can't get enough of th...
Text a Message to the Show When you first became a cop, you probably had a goal. You wanted to become a homicide detective, or a K9 handler, or you wanted to make the SWAT team. Maybe you're on track to achieve that goal, but even if you do make it, what then? How do you go about getting promoted later in your career if you've already gone into a specialty like SWAT? I've got someone for you today who can answer those questions. Today we are bringing back a frequ...
Text a Message to the Show Today we address one of the most frequent topics that I hear about in the police station, the great difficulty in recruiting Gen Z. My friend Jim Dudley co-authored a recent book on the subject, called "Recruitment & Retention of Gen-Z Law Enforcement Officers" and I brought Jim and his co-author, Janay Gasparini, to talk about it and give us a few insights on what can be done. Resources: Jim's podcast is called "Policing Matters"Book: Recruitment ...
Text a Message to the Show Today's guest is Jimmy Graham. Jimmy was a US Navy SEAL and worked for the CIA but one of the most interesting jobs he had, and one that overlaps with law enforcement, is that in both the SEALs and the CIA he trained people in CQB, i.e. Close Quarters Battle, room-clearing, hostage rescue, and room-to-room combat. Jimmy still trains people but now he includes teaching on family relationships, the meaning of manliness, and his Christian faith. These are a...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking about the recurring dreams and nightmares that cops have. Our guest is Dr Dara Rampersad, a first responder and forensic psychologist from Phoenix Arizona who specializes in first responder mental health. Dr Dara's website: www.bluepaz.com Music is by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 095 Tags: Police, Alcohol, Anxiety, Dreams, Fear, FEMA, Fire, Guns, Nightmares, Psychology, Sleep, Trauma, Phoenix, Maui, Arizona, Hawaii ...
Text a Message to the Show This is part two of my interview with firefighter and illustrator Paul Combs where we talk more about the first responder as an artist, about critics responded badly to our work, and we also talk a bit about chaplaincy. If you've not listened to the entirety of part one, then go back and find that episode -- it's Episode 094. The title of this episode is a direct reference to Steven Pressfield's book, The War of Art. You should read it. Paul's websit...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to firefighter, illustrator, and editorial cartoonist Paul Combs. His first responder-focused artwork has been featured in newspapers and magazines and probably more than one training session power point that you've seen. In Part 1 of this interview, we're going to talk about Paul's dual career as a firefighter and an artist and how the two jobs influence each other. Paul's website: https://paulcombsart.com Music is by Chris Hauge...
Text a Message to the Show Preventative care can save your teeth… and your marriage. But in both our relationships and our dental hygiene, we often wait for a problem to get out of hand before we are motivated to find a solution. Music is by FSM Team Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 34 Tags: Relationships, Conflict, Counseling, Dentistry, Divorce, Expense, Help, Marriage, Pain, Police, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Sub...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking about drug interdiction: stopping vehicles traveling through the middle of the United States on rural highways and finding drugs and cash and the criminals who transport it. Our guest today is Troy Foster who worked interdiction on Kansas highways for most of his career before a series of personal tragedies almost lead to him taking his own life. Listener discretion is advised. Music is by Alexander Nakarada Hey Chaplain Podcast Epi...
Text a Message to the Show Today I called my police chief friend from Minnesota, Tim Eggebraaten, to come back on the show again and talk about the examples we set and the mentoring we do within a police department. Every cop is setting an example, either good or bad, for every other cop in their sphere of influence and I wanted to run an idea past Tim to see if we couldn't be a little more deliberate about being a good example, building some relationships, and making young officers fee...
Text a Message to the Show I believe that there is a small number of occupations who carefully observe human behavior. Cops are definitely on that list… but so are comedians. I know that both groups make me laugh with all the funny observations they make about the crazy behavior in this world. It's only natural that some cops would gravitate toward stand up comedy and I found one I really like in Vinnie Montez. Vinnie is a Colorado deputy who you might know from his Dr...
Text a Message to the Show This is just a quick update to talk about my own experience with debriefing after exposure to trauma and critical incidents. Guest host Kaleb Sackett joins Chaplain Altic again to talk about getting everybody to talk to someone after a hard day. Hey Chaplain Update Q3 2024 Tags: Police, Chaplaincy, Critical Incidents, Debriefs, Ministry, Suicide, Support, Trauma, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace i...
Text a Message to the Show I've been impressed by the wide variety of jobs in law enforcement and I delight in uncovering forgotten corners of this profession, perhaps to remind you that changing jobs doesn't necessarily mean hanging up the badge. Today I'm talking to Scott Robertson, a game warden from the forests and swampy lakes of East Texas. Scott's daily patrols look a lot different from what I see in urban Kansas City, but there's also a lot of similarities. I want yo...
Text a Message to the Show Today we welcome back Dr. Barry Young. Barry is my friend and a fellow police chaplain and my favorite chaplain & peer support trainer. On Hey Chaplain he was previously in the very highly rated episode, Bonus Episode 24, where we talked about bad death notifications. Today Barry is back and this time he's going to talk about the phenomenon of "leakage" where the intentions to take a life are telegraphed ahead of time, and you and I might catch...
Text a Message to the Show Today I'm presenting to you a select episode from the Blue Canary podcast by Steve Kellams. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I recommend very few. This is one of the good ones and this particular episode of Blue Canary is one that Steve picked specifically to air on Hey Chaplain. Intro Music is by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 32 Tags: Police, Marriage, Police wives, Relationships, Stress, Trauma, Indiana Support the show Thanks for Lis...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to Chris Moore, a Virginia-based firefighter whose father was a police officer. Chris is a great interview because he's got a lifetime of experience wrestling with the ups and downs of first responder behavioral health, both firsthand and as a child of a cop. Chris brings a radical level of transparency to this conversation and I want you to especially notice the three unhealthy coping mechanisms he says he turned to through most of h...
Text a Message to the Show Two years ago we talked with Doug Monda and this is a special abbreviated and condensed version of that interview with him. The original is Episode 022. Doug Monda was a professional athlete turned high-speed, low-drag SWAT cop, in a Florida city with a very high rate violent crime. His identity was wrapped up in being an a very active athlete and operator… until that was suddenly taken away by a serious injury. This led to depression, post trauma...
Text a Message to the Show There are two conflicting truisms in law enforcement: one is old and one is new. First, it's stereotypical that cops, when you ask them, don't want their kids to go into the same line of work. Second, it's becoming more and more true that law enforcement families are some of the only reliable places to find applicants for the job. Police work, like firefighting and the military, is becoming a family business and we're seeing more multi-generational...
Text a Message to the Show This is part two of an interview with Shawn Thomas. If you haven't listened to part one, in which talked about her experience as the wellness officer in a large Sheriff's Office in the Pacific Northwest, then please go download that episode. She had a lot of insight to share, especially if you think you might be the first wellness officer in your agency. But today we're talking about her second chapter. She began producing wellness conference...
Text a Message to the Show Today's guest is Shawn Thomas. She was a deputy with a major Sheriff's Office in the Pacific Northwest and also married to an officer. Shawn was a wellness officer in a major agency and she had to build the airplane while it was flying and a lot of wellness coordinators can identify with that. She also runs 1st Responder Conferences, which has taught thousands of first responders in dozens of locations across the country. Resources: Shawn's organ...
Text a Message to the Show Today we continue our conversation with Dr Cordell Hachinsky and we discuss his career change from combat leader to medical doctor. I hope you listen to this carefully; Dr Hachinsky is a Christian man, so he's going to talk about hearing God call him to a new career but I want you to listen to him describe the process of coming to that conclusion and the different ways that making a big career decision affected him. I think that it's really valuable to h...
Text a Message to the Show Today's guest is a West Point Graduate and an Army combat veteran who came back from Afghanistan to then went to Med School and become an Army doctor. Major Cordell Hachinsky is a friend of mine who I regularly had lunch with while he was attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS. I split the interview into two parts: This first part talks a lot about leadership and training and why we need to allow our subordinates to fail ...
Text a Message to the Show The Hey Chaplain podcast is for police officers by a police chaplain. It offers peer-to-peer support and expert advice on officer wellness, including stress, trauma, and work-life balance. Hosted by a real chaplain who rides along with officers, the show provides support for officers to connect and find encouragement. For Officers: Get support and encouragement: Hear real stories from peers and find inspiration to overcome challenges.Learn from experienced officer...
Text a Message to the Show This episode marks the beginning of our fourth year so I wanted to go back and do follow ups with some of my past guests. In this episode we get an update on the US Marshals, including some of their new missions, why law enforcement officers have left the profession in recent years and how that affects someone coming in right now. We also talk about the what first responder chaplains need to be focused on right now and I get to talk to a friend in Louisv...
Text a Message to the Show Although we normally focus on interviews with police officers, today we're talking to a medical doctor who is married to a newly retired homicide detective. Her name is Dr. Melody Rodarte and I wanted to ask her about police officer health. Why do they get sick and what parts of the job cause it? And more importantly what can be done about it. Dr Rodarte has a lot of wisdom and insight, not only as a physician, but also as an LEO wife. DISCLA...
Text a Message to the Show Today we are talking to Brandi Fischer, a sexual assault victim's advocate with an organization called MOCSA. Part of Brandi's job is going into police academies to teach officers about sexual assault and the impact of trauma on a victim. She has a lot of really good coaching on what to do and what not to do when talking to a victim but she also has some fantastic insights on when and why a rape victim lying or telling you the truth. Music is by Trac...
Text a Message to the Show Some of the best stepparents I know are police officers. So when it came time to find the 2024 LEO Mom of the Year, I was really happy to receive the nomination of a highly regarded detective who also happens to be a stepmother. So today we're talking to detective Emily Hren, who works at one of our larger agencies just a little ways down the road from me. She and her husband traveled to visit me recently so that Emily could talk about her experience as ...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to Gregg Dorsett; he has been a guest several times before mostly on compilation episodes, but his first appearance was all the way back in Episode 004. Today he's a captain at KCKPD and part of his job now is getting the patrol officers better equipment than what they've had in the past. He's had a hand in changing things from reports and records to body worn cameras to how the department buys and equips patrol cars. This isn't...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to Simon Osamoh, who was a highly decorated detective in the UK investigating organized crime and doing counter-terrorism. If you've ever had to container of liquid confiscated at the airport, then you're familiar with the results of Simon's work. Today he's talking to us about communication and empathy, mentors in law enforcement and how the presence or absence of our fathers affects us. Music is by Chris Haugen and by the Mini Van...
Text a Message to the Show This episode is Part Two of my recent conversation with Ginger Passarelli from the Soup Ladies. You'll want to go back and catch Part One, episode 081, where she talked about her recent work with the Border Patrol. This portion of the conversation focuses on serving first responders more generally and I wanted you to hear Ginger's passion to serve and how it's combined with integrity and discipline. We could have more people helping but they need t...
Text a Message to the Show Today we have the return of another fan favorite, Ginger Passarelli of the Soup Ladies. For the last couple of years she has been working with the Border Patrol, which is no small feat to bring a non-profit organization into the inner workings of a Federal agency. In this part of the interview Ginger talks specifically about her work to help encourage the Border Patrol agents with love and good food. Ginger called me from an undisclosed border stat...
Text a Message to the Show This is just a quick update to answer a question about chaplains at police roll calls and to address the issue with Google podcasts migrating over to YouTube Music. Guest host Kaleb Sackett joins Chaplain Altic to address these topics and get a sneak peek at upcoming episodes! Hey Chaplain Update Q1 2024 Tags: Police, Chaplaincy, Google, Podcasting, Roll Calls, YouTube, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for p...
Text a Message to the Show Today we're talking to Captain Jeff Keck, a North Texas police officer with about 25 years of experience. Jeff and I were talking recently about podcast topics that cops really need to hear and he said a phrase that caught my ear. He said, "from my own experience cops shouldn't always bottle things up." My response was, "oooh, that dog'll hunt!" Police officers are encouraged, both directly and indirectly, to bottle up their emotions, and tha...
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