Alexandrea Murray, Spokane Police Department Intern, No Phone Number Available
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 4:55 p.m.
Mickey Tuter is a lifelong resident and the Spokane Police Department Senior Chaplain who works with police officers and community members. He started in 2006, as a volunteer chaplain and was hired as a full time chaplain in August of 2017. Mickey has been with SPD for 14 years and continues to give his heart to the job while leading a team of volunteer chaplains. Before becoming a Chaplain, he worked delivering and picking up health equipment to people with medical needs at their homes. Seeing grieving families, Mickey felt called to offer support to others during difficult times. Often he would stay and talk, offer prayer, and just be a shoulder to cry on. During this time Mickey was also a youth minister when he met an SPD officer who suggested he become a Chaplain.
After training, Mickey volunteered with the police chaplaincy on a regular basis for more than ten years before accepting funded leadership positions.
“There are hard days when you experience the suffering, mental anguish and heartbreak of others,” says Chaplain Tuter. However, he says even with the emotional challenge, his job is very rewarding. On one of Mickey’s first calls, he had to comfort parents who had lost an infant. The call showed Mickey that sometimes through the grieving process people need someone to take their frustration out on, even when being offered a guiding hand.
When not out on a call, the Chaplains sit in at officer roll call and often ride along on patrol to build relationships with the officers. Chaplains bring food and water to officers when they are serving on calls for long periods of time. Community Chaplains offer emotional support through tough and often tragic times, sometimes all those in difficult situations need is the presence of somebody else.
To learn more or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer chaplain, visit the Spokane Police Department’s Chaplaincy Program page and follow them on Facebook!
