Having served as both a pastor and policeman, the Rev. Rich Wilson has dealt with people in crisis.

He soon will combine those roles in a police chaplaincy program beginning in Butler County.

The program, initiated by district attorney Randa Clark, will use volunteer chaplains to assist police officers in various ways, from dealing with job-related stress to easing tension at accident scenes.

"The Bible says blessed are the peacemakers. Well, that's what we are there to do," said Wilson of Center Township, who was an officer for 24 years in Zelienople before an ankle injury led to retirement.

He now is a pastor with the United Methodist Church with the Cranberry-based Western Pennsylvania conference.

"I find a great similarity in being a police officer and being a pastor," Wilson said.

"Anyone who has a problem comes to you, and you need to have an answer for them. The difference is with a policeman it's about the what: 'What's going on? What's happening? What can we do about it?'

"With the pastor, it's usually about the who? (As in) 'How are you feeling about this?'

"It's more personal, but it's still the same thing."

Wilson said one important role of the chaplains will be helping with death notifications, since officers often are called back to their jobs shortly after delivering harsh news.

"Honestly, they can't (always) stay there until the rest of the family arrives or other support comes. The chaplain is willing to stay there as long as it takes," he said.

Chaplains also will assist with resolving domestic disputes and adding a calming presence in various other situations.

Discussions for the chaplaincy program began about a year ago, when officers approached Clark requesting help with the many emotionally charged situations present on the job.

"We had so many new officers around the county who were young, just starting out on the job," Clark said. Being saddled with the responsibility of doing death notices or dealing with families at crash and suicide sites "can be overwhelming for them," she added.

Clark began the process by consulting with the Rev. Tom Pierotti of Trinity Lutheran Church and eventually Wilson, an existing member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains who shared Clark's interest in starting a program.

Pierotti serves on a local policy board, administered by Clark, whose goal is improving local services for victims of crime.

The process took shape last week at Trinity Lutheran, where 18 clergymen trained to become certified police chaplains. The two-day training was conducted by Capt. Daniel Schafer, regional director for the International Conference of Police Chaplains.

Many of the trainees previously had done ride-alongs with police officers to get acquainted and to get a feel for what might transpire on the job.

With classroom training complete as of Oct. 18, Schafer, Pierotti, Wilson and Clark presented a consolidated version of the training on Friday at the Butler County Chiefs of Police Association meeting, attended by 15 members representing 13 agencies.

"We've been working on this with Rev. Pierotti for at least a year," said Butler City Police Chief Tim Fennell, who officiates the meetings.

"It's been needed for quite a while," he added.

Butler Township Police Chief Gary Garman, who attended that meeting, has implemented two police chaplaincy programs in his career: one near St. Louis in the mid-1970s and one in Palmyra, Pa., in 1981.

Garman echoes the sentiment of many officers, who lament the abrupt need to return to duty after delivering bad news.

"People are left there by themselves, and they fall apart in many cases," he said.

"It's something that's long overdue. It's great that we had the response from our own clergy here."

At this point, police departments can request a chaplain's services through the district attorney's office on a case-by-case basis, or they can adopt a specific chaplain as part of their force.

Although the chaplains serve as volunteers, they will be sworn in in the same manner as paid officers with the honorary title of captain.

With the position ecumenical in nature, Pierotti said a variety of denominations were represented at the training, which will likely be offered again if additional pastors express an interest.

Pierotti said the chaplains will continue to meet to "keep the ball rolling," and many will attend another training this spring hosted in Carlisle by ICPC.

"I guess I would emphasize that it's a first step. It's the beginning of something," Pierotti said.

"There will be opportunities for people to become involved in the future."