MORRIS COUNTY — On Tuesday, June 12, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp participated at the fifth annual Police Chaplains’ Conference, held by the New Jersey Police Chaplains Association at the War Memorial Building in Trenton. As the President of the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey (CPANJ), Prosecutor Knapp provided opening remarks at the conference along with New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and Chief Garry Gubbei, President of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. The focus of the Police Chaplains’ Conference was on building stronger police chaplaincy programs, partnering with diverse faith communities, defining bias crimes and incidents, as well as fostering violence prevention strategies through community engagement.
“Police Chaplains play an important role in building stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities in which they serve. They provide crucial spiritual services to police officers and their families in times of need. The training provided today will prove to be extremely beneficial for these Chaplains in their duties and for the communities they serve”, said Prosecutor Knapp.
The program consisted of different workshops which the approximately 250 attendees could join throughout the afternoon. The subjects of these meetings varied, but included, Bias Crimes Awareness, Creating Safe and Healthy Communities, Expectations of Police Chaplains, Homeland Security & Preparedness 101, Recognizing and Preventing Threats in Our Communities, Resilience and Reflection-Cop 2 Cop 2018, Strengthening Communication Skills, and Working Together-Building Diverse Interfaith Coalitions in your Communities. Police Chaplains provide an important service during incidents in which a delicate response to citizen needs may be necessary. They are able to offer emotional, social, or spiritual support during what may very well be the worst moment in someone’s life. Over the past few years, the number of Police Chaplains has grown throughout the state.
