From Fear to Snacks

You are probably wondering what in the world this blog could be about. Hang in there with me, it’s a great story! One of the things I enjoy about my role as chaplain is getting to be kind of a middle person between officers and the community. I get a front row seat to a lot of what the officers do and how they do it and I enjoy opportunities to share that information with others. Before I started riding, I really didn’t have any problems with law enforcement, but I certainly didn’t understand them or their job. I learned so much in the early days of riding and am still learning almost 3 years in.

In my last couple years as the Youth Pastor at Moody Methodist Church, my student ministry staff often got subjected to hanging out with police officers. The Officers would often come in after events and eat the leftover food or just come by and hang out. So, when we interviewed interns I jokingly started asking if they were ok with police officers. When Addie (the girl pictured with me above) was hired she was not so sure how she felt about that. She hadn’t had run-ins with police herself, but had witnessed some harsh interactions. Because of what she saw, she didn’t have a very positive view of police officers. In fact, she was a little afraid of them.

I imagine a lot of people are in the same position. I bet a lot of people have witnessed officers doing things that look questionable or have misunderstandings about police work. If you are looking from a distance or don’t see the interaction from the beginning, I fully understand why some things look a little sketchy. Until you are out there with them, it can be tough to understand why they do what they do. They can also appear very intimidating by the way they have to carry themselves and it’s not until you get to spend some time with them that you get to see them differently.

What happened with Addie was awesome. Even though she was uncertain, she was willing to give them a chance. She spent some time around the Officers that worked an extra job at the church and got to know them. She would hang around when the night watch Officers came by and she got to see them more as people rather than just as law enforcement. After she finally got more comfortable with them, she finally decided to go on a ride along and see what it was like out on the streets. It wasn’t too crazy of a night, but she got a little bit of an idea of what they deal with. As they seem to do, the Officers worked their way into her heart and she became quite fond of them.

Now, where the snack part of the story comes in, I keep snacks in my office for the officers. During busy shifts, the snack might serve as their lunch or might be what holds them over until they get home to eat. The snack is also a great way for them to come into my office and talk about what’s going on in their world, which I absolutely love as a Chaplain. Food is also a love language of theirs, so snacks speak volumes! After graduating from college Addie moved to another city and isn’t able to ride with the officers or hang out with them. That didn’t stop her from taking care of them. She got in touch with me before Mardi Gras and asked what food they like to eat. She did an order on Amazon and stocked my office with snacks for them. I love this! She went from being uncertain and afraid of Police Officers to ordering snacks for them to have on a very busy weekend. It’s things like this that seem so small, but are really a big deal.

Officer morale is boosted so much when the community cares for and supports them. When civilians who haven’t understood get a glimpse into what law enforcement is really like, they are able to be an advocate for the Officers and really make a difference. I know a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to spend the amount of and the kind of time with the Officers that Addie did and that’s where I get to help. I enjoy opportunities to answer questions that people have about Police Officers and the work they do. I love to tell stories of their big hearts and the difference they make. It’s fun to share about the times I get to see them being mom or dad instead of big tough Police Officer. I am so happy when I can do anything that helps to build up support for them. It really doesn’t take much time to go from being uncertain to being a supporter! If you have questions, I’m happy to answer what I can. If you want to see what they do, come out and ride with us!