Hey Chaplain: The Police Wellness Podcast

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 38 in November 2024. Music is by LesFM Hey Chaplain Bonus Episode 39 Tags: Police, Career, Education, Friendship, Leadership, Sergeants, Stress, Wellness, Work Ethic, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 combat zone, and what a you can do after trauma, when you don't have a chance to take a break from the constant stress. Resources: https://www.transformedtoughguys.comhttps://www.mdcalc.com/calc/10464/adverse-childhood-experiences-ace-score Music is by Alexander Nakarada Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 103 Disclaimer: Dr. Mondragon is a fantastic doctor but let me remind you that he is probably not your doctor. The information presented in this episode, including any statements or opinions expressed by Dr. Mondragon, is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a doctor who has actually met you. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you heard on a podcast. Go see your doctor! Tags: Depression, Army, Childhood Trauma, Doctor, Gratitude, Leadership, Military, Prayer, Stress, Veterans, Iraq, Texas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 in the show: Music is by Chris Haugen and by Esther Abrami Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 102 Tags: Podcasting, Art, Calling, Career, Chiefs, Co-workers, Detectives, Disasters, Encouragement, Family, Firefighting, Game Wardens, Listeners, Police, Positivity, Support, Trauma, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 the near future. Music is by Nicholas Panek generated by artificial intelligence and is also by LesFM Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 101 Tags: Police, AI, Cameras, Civil Rights, Computers, Drones, Family, Privacy, Recording, Reports, Safety, Technology, Video, California, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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, Choir Practice, Disorder, Injury, Morale, Psychology, Shame, Tells, Work, Kansas City, Kansas DunDunDunnn.wav by copyc4t -- https://freesound.org/s/146434/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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, Sergeants, Stress, Technology, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 "The Allusionist" podcast for demonstrating the concept so well. Tags: Police, Ideas, Interviews, Planning, Podcasting, Wellness, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 our conversation. Music is by Alexander Nakarada Tags: Chaplaincy, Authority, Caring, Chaplains, Church Leadership, Fire, Influence, Leadership, Pastor, Podcasting, Police, Rapport, Training, Trust, Wellness, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 judging the book by its cover. 'Love Conquers' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au Hey Chaplain podcast Episode 098 Tags: Police, Advice, Beauty Pageant, Family, Leadership, Marriage, Miss America, Musical Theater, Singing, Women, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, South Carolina Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 those strange unexplainable stories and the detective and I talk a bit about that too. Music is by Brian Bolger Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 36 Tags: Police, Cold Cases, Death, Detectives, Gangs, Gang Signs, Ghosts, Graffiti, Halloween, Hospital, Knives, Polaroid, Spooky, Kansas City, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 frequent guest and friend of the show, Ryan Miller. Ryan is currently a major at his department, so not only has he been in the SWAT teams as an officer, a sergeant, and a captain, but he's also been in the position to hire and fire police officers and to evaluate people for special assignments. He's seen this from both sides and has more actual experience advancing up through special operations than most people. Music is by Chris Haugen Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 097 Tags: Police, Advancement, Career, Hiring, Leadership, Patrol, Promotions, Professional Standards, Responsibility, Selection Process, SWAT, Kansas City, Overland Park, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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: https://www.blue360media.com/recruitment-retention-of-gen-z-law-enforcement-officers-1st-ed.html Music is by DJ Williams Hey Chaplain Podcast Bonus Episode 35 Tags: Police, Books, Demographics, Gen Z, Generations, Health, Hiring, Leadership, Psychology, Recruiting, Relationships, Retention, Sociology, San Francisco, California Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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'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 all lessons that were learned and confirmed in the shoot house. So today Jimmy is going to talk about the wisdom he learned from CQB and how he's applying it as a husband and a father today. Resources: https://www.youtube.com/@ableshepherd Music is by Chris Haugen and by Alexander Nakarada Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 096 Tags: US Navy SEALs, Active Shooters, CIA, Combat, CQB, Family, Fatherhood, Manhood, Marriage, Military, Navy, Shoot House, Shooting, Wisdom Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 website: https://paulcombsart.com Music is by LesFM Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 094.5 Tags: Fire, AI, Art, Artists, Catharsis, Chaplains, Creativity, Drawing, Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Ohio Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 Haugen Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 094 Tags: Fire, Art, Artists, Cartoons, Cancer, Criticism, Editorials, Humor, Mental Health, Politics, Suicide, Training, Wellness, Indianapolis, Tampa, Florida, Indiana, Ohio Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com 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 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 Episode 093 Tags: Police, Alcohol, Deputy, Dogs, Drugs, Highway, Interdiction, K9, Medication, Movies, Narcotics, Pride, Shame, Sheriff's Office, Stress, Suicide, Kansas Support the show Thanks for Listening! And, as always, pray for peace in our city. Subscribe/Follow here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hey-chaplain/id1570155168https://open.spotify.com/show/2CGK9A3BmbFEUEnx3fYZOY Email us at: heychaplain44@gmail.com You can help keep the show ad-free by buying me a virtual coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heychaplain