JAMES CITY COUNTY — James City County Police Chaplain Rev. Dr. Sam Frye, just returned from a solidarity mission to Israel.
Traveling with a delegation of 22 police chaplains from the International Conference of Police Chaplains, the goal of this trip was to bring solidarity by working with and administering to the Israeli National Police Department after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
While in Israel, Frye and his team worked with police officers in both the Southern and Northern Districts, including the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights, and Jordan borders.
“One of the things that really stands out in my mind is the first place we visited,” Frye recalled. “We spent some time on the Gaza Strip, working with one of the precincts that was bombed and it was really heartbreaking because, they lost a total of 59 officers that day, but they lost 10 right out of this precinct.”
One of the stories that resonated with Frye was about a 51-year-old grandmother who held off the terrorists for seven hours on the rooftop of her precinct. Frye says that she had her officers who were on the roof with her who were killed, and the only way she survived was by using the weapons from the terrorists that she had shot.
Frye said hat had stuck with him was when she revealed that she had already called her son to say goodbye during the attack. The grandmother had played dead, even though she thought she was going to die because she couldn’t quit shaking. The terrorists had started shooting the bodies of the fallen, and she only survived as they had been called away for something else.
“As she told this story it was unbelievable to see the resolve of these police officers,” Frye said.
According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, police chaplains provide emotional, moral, and spiritual support to officers, staff, and their families. They can either be paid employees of the agency or volunteers. Though police chaplains may be of one denomination or religion, they provide support to all officers, even if that means locating resources for individuals who do not share the same belief system. The association notes a strong chaplaincy program can support a culture where officers feel comfortable seeking help and finding support.
The Chief Rabbi from the National PD shared his desire to pull police department clergy and Rabbis together from across the globe to establish a permanent working relationship where the fallen could be honored and survivors were never forgotten.
As Chaplain, Frye learned that while the Israeli Defense Force monitors Israel’s borders, it is the responsibility of the 32,000 Israeli police officers (along with a network of 40,000 adult volunteers) to provide operational responsibility and safety within Israel’s borders. This is in addition to performing classic police duties such as fighting crime, maintaining public order, and traffic control.
With only 15 seconds to find a shelter once rockets are launched, stress on police officers and their families is always high, which requires a constant state of heightened readiness and situational awareness, Frye said.
While it was only in-country for approximately two weeks, the delegation felt its small contribution made a big impact on police officers and survivor’s lives.
