Earlier this summer, Reverend Dennis Emmons became the chaplain for the Michigan State Police Groveland Post. Now he’s officially become the chaplain for the Lake Orion Police Department.
LO Village Clerk Arlene Nichols swore in Emmons recently at the police department.
Emmons lives in Lake Orion and is the current pastor of Gingellville Community Church. He and his family have two grown children, Chad and Kristen.
He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Grand Valley University in 1976 and has a master’s degree in religious education from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary.
Many police departments have a chaplain to assist as a liaison between the department and the community in times of tragedy and difficulty, according to LO Police Chief Jerry Narsh.
“The chaplain corp are licensed members of the clergy and also receive training in law enforcement matters. Thus they are uniquely qualified to help victims of crimes and tragedy (including accidents),” Narsh added.
“It’s always frustrating for law enforcement to go into such situations. We try to do our job as professional as possible. We give them some guidance, but we don’t like leaving it like that. We want an ending.
“We want to help, especially our victims. Police chaplains contribute to that agenda.”