The Police Chaplain Program
The Chaplain Program provides promotion, training, consultation and encouragement to chaplains, law enforcement agencies and the first responder community. The Chaplain Program Academy offers two days of basic training and other advanced courses and certificates, including the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation certified training courses. The goal is that by having the police and clergy working together during times of crisis or incidents, that a more comprehensive response will be given to those in need. The faith-based leaders will perform tasks of a more emotional, social or spiritual nature while the officers handle those tasks that are of a law enforcement nature.
Listen to Gary Holden's Interview on the Chief Talk Podcast
Chaplains Training
The Chaplain Program provides promotion, training, consultation and encouragement to chaplains, law enforcement agencies and the first responder community.
Basic Chaplains Training Overview
This training provides candidates with the tools necessary to transition from members of the clergy for their community to serving as chaplains for their local police departments. This training provides students with model policies, procedures, best practices, and the law concerning creating a constitutionally permissible chaplain program. It also covers death notifications, basic counseling concepts, suicide prevention, confidentiality requirements, and exceptions to confidentiality. It provides a primer for clergy to understand the culture of law enforcement agencies if they have no prior experience dealing with members of the law enforcement or first responder community. The training discusses the differences between being a pastor and a chaplain and highlights ethical issues that may arise when wearing both a chaplain and pastor hat. Diversity, resiliency concepts, the necessity for them to take care of themselves, confidentiality, and ethics are also discussed. This program is also offered in Spanish.
Resiliency Program for Chaplains Overview
This course is taught by Chaplains who have been cross trained to become resiliency co-facilitators for RMOTFL. Chaplains and members of the clergy are in the best position to understand the unique stress members of this community must deal with daily. Fellow chaplains are also aware of the many competing interests, traumas, and stress that fellow Chaplains and members of the clergy deal with and are unique to this group of helpers.
Founded by Reverend Gary Holden
Rev. Gary W. Holden is the Founder and Director of The Police Chaplain Program. A proven law enforcement instructor and crisis counselor, he has served with agencies including the NJ State Police, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, and the NJ Prosecutor's Office. He responded at Ground Zero after 9/11 and is active in disaster and trauma support across New Jersey.
An award-winning trainer with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Chaplain Holden is a Master Resilience Trainer and helped develop the NJ Resiliency Program. He serves on the NJ Homeland Security Interfaith Advisory Council and chairs the Emergency Chaplain Corp. for The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation, where he received the Legion of Honor Bronze Medallion.
