There has been much controversy over whether or not the City of McPherson should be allowed to develop a chaplain program with the police department.

McPherson Mayor Thomas A. Brown received a letter last week from Andrew Seidel, staff attorney for the Freedom from Religion Foundation, challenging the appropriateness of the McPherson Police Department Chaplaincy program. In his letter, Seidel requested assurances “in writing, that McPherson and its police will cease this program.”

The mayor says he requested that McPherson Police Chief Robert McClarty start the process to create a Police Chaplaincy program. Currently, the program is in the developmental stages as policies are being reviewed and modified. Chief McClarty says the program is based upon similar programs in other major Kansas police departments.

However, the Freedom from Religion Foundation challenges the appropriateness of a chaplaincy program altogether as a violation of the United States Constitution.

The mayor says based on a legal review, he’s confident that the city is constitutionally permitted to establish a Police Chaplaincy program, as many similar programs exist throughout the nation and have been legally approved in the past.

The program allows two Christian ministers to ride along with McPherson police officers to counsel officers and be present when officers inform families of deaths.

The Mayor went on to say that the chaplains in this program are volunteers and not on the city’s payroll.They would also be under the control of Chief McClarty and his staff, and not under the control or influence of their churches or respective denominational organizations.