Volunteer Caddo sheriff’s chaplain fired after praying over dispatch
By Madison Edwards
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — A Caddo sheriff’s chaplain has been fired from his volunteer pastoral position after he prayed over the official dispatch radio.
Former Caddo sheriff’s chaplain Bob Russell read a daily devotion nearly 35 seconds long as a protection for deputies. Caddo Sheriff Jay Long says this was a misuse of official radio channels.
Russell’s prayer read, “Oh mighty God, allow us to worship and glorify your name. Watch over the men and women of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Department. Protect them from any harm in the performance of their duties. Let them be there to encourage the general public towards a positive attitude towards all law enforcement. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress my God, in whom I trust.’ We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Now be safe out there, and God bless.”
Deputies responded with “thank you,” but he also got a call from dispatch telling him to contact his supervisor. He was then fired.
“All I did was try to protect our people,” Russell said.
Long says the termination was not due to the content of Russell’s transmission, but the misuse of the dispatch frequency for non-emergency calls. But it was also considered a public safety concern.
“The person in question did not ask permission. He got on our main Caddo Sheriff’s Office channel and tied up our radio. The fact that he was praying was irrelevant,” Long said.
Long added that some deputies are not Christian and were subjected to listening to a prayer while monitoring radio traffic.
“Not everyone prays the Christian prayers,” Long continued. “Yet my deputies are bound by their duties to be tied to that radio for public safety. He imposed upon them a prayer they might not wish to participate in.”
Russell is upset to lose the honor of working with Caddo deputies.
“I really love this,” Russell said. “I have never enjoyed something as much as I enjoyed being a chaplain. The camaraderie with the other deputies, the opportunity to be called a chaplain made be proud. I wanted to help people as much as I possibly could.”
Long said he would not reinstate Russell during his tenure but suggests Sheriff-elect Henry Whitehorn could bring Russell back into the chaplain program. Long also assures the program is not being suspended or changed.
Long reinforced the need for clear communications over official airwaves, and anyone misusing them would be subject to the same termination.
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