It’s a resource the officers in Mount Vernon-Lisbon hope never to have to use, but will be there if they do need it.
Mount Vernon Lisbon police chief Doug Shannon said the department is welcoming a police chaplain to their ranks, Bob Brus of Lisbon.
Brus has served as a chaplain since 2013, originally starting at St. Luke’s.
Shannon said he has been working on this project over the past couple of years, and has been looking for a solution to one of the critical stressors for officers.
Brus has been doing ride-alongs with many of the officers on the department to get them comfortable with him before they might need his services.
Brus serves with the Jones Regional Medical Center as a volunteer chaplain for the church, and with the Lisbon Fire Department as well. He’s also worked with the Lisbon-Mount Vernon Ambulance Service in the past.
“My hope is that as issues come up, officers feel comfortable coming to me to talk about what they are going through,” Brus said.
Council member Paul Tuerler said he has had the honor and privilege of working alongside Brus at Rockwell Collins in the past.
“If you ever needed anyone to be there for me with issues at Rockwell, for me that was always Bob as well,” Tuerler said.
Tuerler also commended Shannon for introducing this program to the services of the department, something that is rare for a department of Mount Vernon-Lisbon’s size.
Other council members also said they could see the need for this, especially when dealing with challenging calls, including things like the grain bin incident in February.