Blue Lives Matter? Or Cops Kill? With the current polarized views of police officers, it’s a great time to discuss how the gospel changes the way a cop views the world and enforces laws. Kate O., a police officer in a major city in the United States, shared with me some of her background and what keeps her going back to work each day. She views law enforcement as a ministry. Her story–and the reminder that there are police officers who love God and people–is so encouraging.
What made you want to be a police officer?
My father was a police officer and I grew up hearing his stories. He loved his job and I could see the passion in his eyes when he would talk about it. When I was still very young, he went back to school and changed careers. He didn’t want my three siblings and me to grow up not knowing if he would come home each night. As a family, we also enjoyed watching classic shows like Andy Griffith, Adam 12, Dragnet, Ironside, and Emergency, but I never considered law enforcement until my junior year of college.
In my teens and early twenties, my spiritual mentors were women like Elisabeth Elliot, Amy Carmichael, and Lilias Trotter. I read their life stories, soaked up their wisdom, and was inspired by their willingness to give up everything to follow wherever God called them. I was a young teen when I copied one of Lilias Trotter’s prayers into my journal,
“O Jesus, the Crucified, I will follow Thee in Thy path. Inspire me for the next step, whether it leads down into the shadow of death or up into the light. Surely in what place my Lord the King shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will Thy servant be.”
Looking back, I had no idea how God would answer that prayer and what the cost would be, but it has been so fully worth it.
I was a liberal arts major in college, studying government, history, English, politics, literature, and art but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. During my freshman year, our entire college read and discussed a book on vocation by the college’s provost, Dr. Gene Veith. The concept of vocation really spoke to me because the emphasis was on what God does through us with the gifts He’s given us in the place He puts us, instead of pursuing a career to pay the bills. The final step was when I went on ride-a-longs with police officers in my hometown and one night it just clicked for me: God was calling me to law enforcement.
What did your path to becoming a law enforcement officer look like?
The state I live in requires all police officers to have a college degree and six weeks of intense job-specific training we call the academy or “skills.” I switched my major and graduated with a bachelor of science in criminal justice. One of the largest obstacles for me was my size (I’m 5’3” and petite) and I had never worked out beyond walking, biking, and an occasional hike. I started training to pass the physical exam: running, lifting weights, cross training. God provided me with a fellow female student who had been through a year with a physical trainer so she taught me the proper form for lifting and how to cross train. We worked out together multiple times a week between classes and became fast friends. She was in it for the same reasons I was — to make a difference in law enforcement by bringing our strengths as females.
I also had to mentally prepare, processing the difficult possibilities of having to take a life or losing my own during the course of the job. I also had to process through how I was going to confront the evil and darkness. I remember writing the following quote from Amy Carmichael in my journal while I was going through school and praying that God would show me how to practically live it out:
“We can only touch evil by virtue of the cleansing blood. Nothing but the white fires of God’s holiness suffice for such contact. Move out from the full stream of Calvary and you know yourself not only defenseless but stained.”
After six weeks of academy where we learned emergency vehicle driving, firearms, defensive tactics, crime scene processing, evidence collection, and patrol operations complete with scenarios that combined all of those skills, I was able to take the state licensing exam. Once I passed the exam, I could start applying for jobs. The employment process lasted six months: I had to apply, go through three separate interview panels, take aptitude tests, pass an extensive background investigation, pass a day-long psychological exam and then a medical exam, and finally have my employment confirmed in a city council meeting. After that, I went through a second academy, a sixteen-week field training program, and finally had to successfully complete a probationary year of employment. God proved Himself so faithful through each hurdle and I really got to watch Him work.
What does a typical day look like for you? Is there a normal?
One of the reasons I wanted to do law enforcement is that I love challenges and problem solving. I do it every day. Each call is unique, even if I’m going to the same house for fifth time that week! Calls are dynamic with variables that can change in seconds.
I work a power shift, so I start late afternoon. Each shift, we get into our uniforms and gear, go to roll call, do our squad checks and log into the computerized dispatching program. I’m currently assigned to patrol so my primary responsibility is to take calls for service. When I’m not responding to a call, I can do proactive enforcement like traffic stops, hit crime hot spots, do neighborhood or retail patrol, foot patrol, warrants, follow up investigation, or training. I’m part of our domestic violence response and crisis intervention teams so I do a lot of training, follow up with victims, families, or social workers, and I also have additional responsibilities on calls if there’s a need for de-escalation, crisis intervention, or specialized interviewing.
What are some of the challenges that face you as a woman police officer?
Kate
Because of my size, I have to be especially aware of my command presence, and how I use my words to deescalate and control the situation. I’ve learned size differential physical tactics when it comes to physically controlling suspects. Even though the percentage of women in law enforcement continues to increase, there is still pressure on female officers to prove themselves with their male partners.
Because of our innate differences, the men will always be faster, stronger, and better at the physical elements of the job. But the women are better communicators, multitaskers, more perceptive and sensitive to needs, and more skilled at dealing with other females and children, especially victims of sexual or physical abuse. Strength comes when both men and women recognize their weaknesses and strengths, then work together as equals with those in mind. My male partners are really good at this synergy so our response to calls is much safer and effective.
What are some challenges that face you as a Christian police officer?
There are not many Christians in law enforcement so it can be difficult to find someone who interprets the things we have to see with the same worldview. I was very grateful to have a Christian field training officer for the majority of my training.
One of the main challenges I have is processing through the evil I see every day. I didn’t realize how depraved the human heart could be until I became a police officer. Crime movies and TV shows do not come close to depicting what it’s actually like in the houses, neighborhoods, and dark corners of the cities we Americans think are so safe. Research says the average law enforcement officer is exposed to more trauma in six months than most people will experience in a lifetime. It makes theodicy (the problem of pain) a very real struggle for officers. As a result, many become bitter, cynical, and jaded.
Because of my Christian worldview, I know why evil exists and how God has provided a solution. That said, I still have to continually be aware of the negative bombardment I get everyday at the job. Police officers are notorious complainers and I have to fight that tendency myself. I have to balance what I see, how I process, and how I stay pure before God. I try to be conscious of what I’m filling my mind with during downtime at work so I listen to uplifting playlists and edifying podcasts.
Do you see your work as linked to ministry?
Absolutely! I think we all have a ministry. As a mama, your ministry is to your kids. As a neighbor, your ministry is to your neighbors. As a doctor or nurse, your ministry is to your patients and so on. Ministry is how we make God known to the world around us.
For me, my ministry is every person I come in contact with at work. I get to be the hands and feet of Christ in a very real way to people who desperately need it. I take my vocation right from verses like Psalm 82:3-4.
“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Isaiah 1:17:
“Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
Even if I don’t get to say anything about God, I’m still leaving them with light. As Paul writes in II Cor. 2:14-17,
“Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
How does the gospel change how you approach law enforcement?
It transforms how I view the people I come in contact with and how I respond to them. Humanity was created in the image of God so I treat every person with professionalism and dignity.
The gospel also informs how I use my discretion in enforcement action. God is perfectly just but He is also merciful and full of grace. I can’t be 100% justice focused and forget about showing mercy (not getting what you deserve) and grace (getting what you don’t deserve). Sometimes not giving someone a traffic ticket makes more of an impact than giving one.
What have been your most rewarding moments on the job?
When I get to see someone’s response and attitude towards me change through the course of a professional, kind, respectful interaction with them, whether a phone conversation, traffic stop, or call for service. I have had drivers yelling profanities and revilements at me before I even open my door on a traffic stop, then had that interaction end with a, “thank you,” from them because of my attitude and the words I chose.
Post-Ferguson policing is the only policing I’ve known. Police are vilified every day in the media, no matter what action they take. I’m the first to admit there are bad apples among us, just like there are in medicine, education, business, and every other career, but there are far more good officers doing their best to make a difference. They bring millions of calls per day to a safe conclusion.
Is there one day you would name as your most difficult day?
When I was the first one in the door on an attempted double homicide where only one of the victims survived. Looking back, I can see how God led and protected me in the small and large details of that call, but it’s still under investigation so I can’t share any of the specifics. The first twenty-four hours after a traumatic incident are most crucial in determining whether someone will have PTSD. I am so grateful for how my partners, supervisors, family, and friends supported me in those first 24 hours and the days following. God used them to help me decompress and strengthen me, and I believe that’s why I don’t carry any adverse effects from that day with me.
How might we be praying for our brothers and sisters who are in the police force?
We covet your prayers for safety and protection. In addition to the other dangers we face, officers are being ambushed and killed just for wearing the uniform. With the increasing complexity of criminal procedure and technology, we need prayer for wisdom and guidance as we respond to calls, particularly for people in crisis. We also need prayer for strength and resilience for us and our families. A lot of officers are taking their own lives and in my area this week, we had two officers take their lives on the same day. Officers are finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the normal stress of the job (calls, long hours, shift work, time away from families on birthdays and holidays, low pay for the type of things we have to see and do) plus the continuous onslaught from the media and communities. This is an opportunity for us to share the reason for the hope we have with them.
This article is one in a series of interviews on how the gospel changes ordinary lives. You may also enjoy Emily Thomes’s thoughts on sharing the gospel with family and friends, or Jaclyn Lewis’s interview on making a house a home.
