Chief Sam White says the new chaplaincy program at the Union Public Safety Department is designed to be a source of spiritual support for officers in both their personal and professional lives.

“The chaplains are not here to convert anyone or force themselves on anyone; if someone asks for their assistance, they are here as a friend,” White said. “They may have their own pastor at their own church, but sometimes having a close relationship with a particular pastor may make them not want to talk to that person. These men are from the outside, they are available for them, not to take the place of their minister, but to supplement their ministerial needs.”

The new chaplains are the Rev. Tommy Bailey, pastor of Duncan Acres United Methodist Church; the Rev. David Caughman, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church and the Rev. Terry Mitchell, pastor of Bethel United Methodist Church.

White said there had been an interest in having a chaplain program at the public safety department for several years. Bailey, who had worked as a chaplain with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, mentioned it when he was assigned as Duncan Acres’ pastor. Later, White was having lunch at Bethel and Mitchell mentioned a similar interest and told White he had been a chaplain at Well Spring Drug and Alcohol Detox Center in Williamston. It also was learned that Caughman, the pastor of Capt. Freddie Gault’s church, had been a chaplain with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, Chesterfield Rescue Squad and the Air Force Reserve.

The program was approved by Union Mayor Harold Thompson and city council. White said the requirements to become a chaplain were that each be a licensed minister and they had to go through a background check, physical and drug test.

The three chaplains have been getting to know and meeting with public safety’s 35 officers the last few weeks. Body armor has been ordered for them and when they are equipped with it they can ride with officers.

“Not that they will be enforcing laws, but they may at a situation that could turn violent,” White said. “They will be here to counsel officers if they need it. If there is a tragic situation and the on shift supervisor thinks they need it, we can have a chaplain come out and talk with the officers or the victims — the chaplains have made themselves available for that. Their main objective is to be here to help the officers with all the stress and bad situations they encounter both personally and professionally.”

Bailey said chaplains also can be available to counsel with victims until their own pastor arrives.

All three have been in dangerous or tragic situations in their past experiences as chaplains. Bailey was called when four people were murdered at a Spartanburg County ATV and motorcycle shop. He’s been on bomb threat calls, and a time when an officer was traveling 130 mph to a call.

Bailey said he appreciates White and Gault, who serves as a liaison for the program, giving the chaplains an opportunity.

“I do have a deep passion for this,” he said. “I went through the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Citizen Police Academy. It was a 13-week program and every week was a different aspect of the sheriff’s office. That gave me a great appreciation for what these men and women go through for us. I like to be there to support them while they support us.”

Caughman remembers a call he had where a person had brought a gun into the lobby of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. Once he went on a Chesterfield murder case and the suspect was caught only 50 yards away.

Mitchell as a chaplain has counseled with patients and their families in intensive care, coronary care and the emergency room.

“I took a clinical pastoral education course that allowed me to be with those who were dying and to be with the families of those who were seriously injured or dying, too,” he said. “i spent about 400 hours doing clinical work. We would go on rounds with the doctors. We would go over there and spend the night so we would be available during a 24-hour period so they could call us during the night if they needed us.”

Mitchell and the other chaplains went on ‘code blue’ calls, or calls to dying patients at Anderson County Hospital.

Sometimes patients who had been in detox were released from care and had nowhere to go. Mitchell would transport them to a Salvation Army shelter or other housing.

White said police chaplains often would speak about their at law enforcement conferences he attended and he hoped Union could have such a program one day,

“I thought we would never have the opportunity to have it, but one interest turned into three,” White said. “We have been really blessed.”

Gault agreed.

“I know they will be a great asset to our department and Union County as a whole,” he said.