Tim Ralph said he knows the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office chaplain program is bearing fruit because he’s having more interactions with employees, even just to say “hi.”
“That right there is a sign of acceptance for what I do and I think people see this as a tool that’s here for them,” Ralph said.
He said when he started as chaplain for the office five years ago, people were more hesitant to sit with him. It was hard cutting through the tough shell many deputies wear. But he said he’s been able to cut through that a lot more.
“I’m a great listener and that’s the biggest tool,” Ralph said. “Most people have the answers in their own heart. You just have to listen to their pain, their traumas, their sadness and sometimes their happiness.”
Undersherrif Tony Spurlock’s expectations for the chaplain program is for Ralph not to just be there to listen but to be a driving ethical force of the department and help employees struggling with a moral dilemma in their job or an employee who’s got in trouble for not handling a situation correctly.
“The business we’re in is to do good in the community,” Spurlock said. “It’s great to have a chaplain at the helm of our moral compass with our programs.”
The department enforced this through their Character First program, which tries to instill 49 character traits to prevent a deputy gone wrong.
“If you can keep an officer honest, you can keep a great community and you don’t have conflict with the community,” Spurlock said.
Spurlock also said Ralph has been critical to providing emotional support for officers who work in units like sex crimes, where they see the worst of humanity and are prone to becoming jaded.
Ralph graduated from Calvary Bible College in Kansas City in 1977 with a degree in pastoral theology with emphasis on Biblical studies and counseling. He is also ordained with the Evangelistic Missionary Fellowship, a non-denominational group. He started his career in law enforcement in 1978 with the Minneapolis Police Department and then moved to serve as chaplain of the Larkspur Fire Department. He’s also been pastor of New Covenant Church in Larkspur for 33 years.
In addition to being chaplain, Ralph has been trained with the emergency stress management program. He’s also studied with the Colorado State Patrol chaplaincy and belongs to the International Conference of Police Chaplains.
He said while his work comes from a God-centered place informed by the Bible, he tries to be sensitive that many employees are not religious.
He also deals with normal chaplain issues like death and divorce, although the latter is much more prevalent among law enforcement than other professions because of the long and odd hours and emotional toll of the job. Often, he said, he meets with officers when they’re on duty, for lunch or coffee outside the office.
In addition to his chaplain duties, which are voluntary and take up about 20 hours a week, he serves with Community Resources checking batteries for Life Trak devices. He also attends DCSO fundraiser events like one at Red Robin for the Special Olympics. Ralph said by being an employee, it’s allowed him to hang out more with officers on duty. He said it’s a myth that officers are disconnected; they just have a harder time relaxing.
He said that he hopes the program grows in the future with more chaplains.
As that moral compass, Ralph has to be an example for all other employees. He said there’s no such thing as a white lie.
“It’s necessary to make sure that character is 100 percent honest and that’s where my faith keeps me on track,” Ralph said. “I know one day I will have to answer to God, but I’d rather answer to him now.”
Clayton Woullard: 303-954-2671 or cwoullard@denverpost.com
