Montana Launches Chaplaincy Program for Law Enforcement

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced on the KGVO Talk Back show on Wednesday that he is proudly introducing the new Chaplaincy Program for the entire Montana Department of Justice.

He said the program is of great importance to him and his staff.

“Probably the most important thing I've got going right now, and this is actually on the positive side, right?” began Knudsen. “A lot of times at the Department of Justice, we deal with crime, we deal with drugs, some of the not-so-fun things in life, but we just rolled out a new program yesterday that I'm really proud of and I'm really excited about, and that is our Department of Justice Chaplain program.”

Knudsen said Highway Patrol Troopers and others in the Department of Justice face violence and tragedy on a daily basis, and having a chaplain nearby is important for good mental and spiritual health.

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“We've got a lot of law enforcement professionals; a lot of investigators, and we've got a lot of prosecutors who are dealing with really, really traumatic stuff,” he said. “Think about a highway patrol trooper. How many of them have seen horrific fatal crashes? How many of them have dealt with officer-involved shootings and child sex assault cases? Go down that list. That is not stuff that you can simply compartmentalize and leave at the office. Take it from me; those are things that you bring home with you.”

Knudsen said former Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Jason Johnson is heading up the volunteer program.

“I can't thank Jason Johnson enough,” he said. “I don't have to tell you folks in Missoula who he is. Jason is your former Undersheriff. When I got here to Helena and got this job, he was an investigator at Gambling Control, and Jason's a guy that I identified pretty early, and he's now joined my leadership team. He's a fantastic asset, but this is something he's really passionate about, and I've just basically given him this football to run with it, and he's put it in the end zone.”

Knudsen emphasized the fact that no state tax money is being used to fund the new Chaplaincy Program.

“There's no cost to the state here,” he said. “This is a volunteer group. We just swore in 11 chaplains yesterday, and these are folks who are going to help with the mental, emotional, and, I think most importantly, spiritual well-being for anybody within the Department of Justice. This is not just for law enforcement. This is for anybody who's having trouble here at the DOJ. We're hoping this is something that we can help give people some mental health, some emotional health, and help them cope with a lot of the trauma that they deal with here at the State Department of Justice.”

Knudsen appears on Talk Back each month to answer questions from KGVO listeners.