Tim Klerekoper – Law Enforcement Chaplain

I noted as I left my driveway that it was just turning 3 a. m.  I have been through this scenario a number of times in my career, and I could literally visualize what would happen next.  As I drove through the dark isolated country roads I tried my best not to put myself into these parent’s shoes.  That would happen soon enough. 

I met the deputy and Medical Examiner investigators at a rendezvous point.  The deputy had already scoped out the house.  One of the investigators jumped into my car and we headed to a house set back from the road.  There was no house number by the road, so we hoped our “educated guess” was correct, and I knocked on the door.  No answer.  I rang the doorbell and knocked again.  Finally we heard some sounds, and a sleepy voice said, “Who’s there and what do you want?”  I identified myself as being with the Sheriff’s Department and the mom opened the door.  Her face was illuminated by our flashlights, and you could tell she was already beginning to sense that something was horribly wrong. 

I showed her my I.D., and asked if we could come in.  As she opened the door to let us in, she asked me if there was something wrong, and I told her that I did in fact have some very bad news for her.  “Don’t tell me it’s Jerry … oh, God, please don’t tell me it’s Jerry.”  I asked her if she had a son named Jerry and she whispered “yes.”  I asked her if he drove a particular make of car and her eyes began to tear as she said again “yes.”  I told her there was no way I could make it easy for her, but that her son had been killed in a car accident earlier that morning. 

There is no way to describe a mother’s scream of pain.  I’ve heard it at least one hundred times over the past sixteen years.  Each one is different, and yet in some ways each one is identically the same.  From the back bedroom I could hear movement, and next an angry voice heading in my direction yelling “what’s going on here?”  He called his wife’s name, but the anger was already beginning to turn to fear.  She screamed that their son was dead … and he first began to argue with her, then slammed his fist on the table and added his scream to hers.  I reached forward just as he fell against the table.  It was all I could do to support his weight before he regained his feet again.    

The explanation they both asked for and we gave them, didn’t help at all.  By now there was a vacant look in their eyes as the unthinkable began to sink deeper into their very soul, memories of a boy who had left a few hours earlier.  “I’m heading out with some friends, Mom.  Don’t wait up for me.”  A voice they would never hear again.   

What many people don’t understand is that there were a number of victims that morning.  This mom and dad would never be the same.  Their family would do their best to come alongside, but they too would be immeasurably impacted.  The deputy did what he could to be strong, but I knew that like me, he was thinking about his own children.  Both investigators answered questions quietly and professionally, but what they had witnessed would be something they will never really forget.  Undoubtedly something down the road will trigger a memory of this incident, and perhaps other situations like it. 

As a chaplain, my responsibility is to do everything in my power to insure that the deputy takes as little emotional baggage away from that horrific scene as is possible.  My responsibility to the investigators would be the same.  After we had left the couple, we talked for awhile, and I made plans to spend time with all of them again.  Follow-up in these types of calls is very important.  It takes time, but it is time always well spent.  I would also drive out to see the family again, to make sure they had the support they needed.  My presence would hopefully bring some comfort, but it will always be part of a memory they too could never forget. 

I share this one call out of many I’ve been on in the past month to give you a small glimpse into my world.  This past month was filled with counseling appointments, marriages to mend, people to follow up with – officers to ride with and firefighters to visit.  The more I meld into my officer’s and firefighter’s world, the more effective I can be. It is your prayers and encouragement that allow me the privilege of answering pages like I did the other morning.  It is one of the reasons I love my job and the people to whom I’ve been called.

Thanks for your prayers for our chaplains as they minister to the hurting people of our world. If you want to learn more about chaplaincy or learn how your church can become involved in this great ministry contact Al Russell at 218-776-2813 or at chapruss@earthlink.net.