SEQUIM – Sequim volunteer Heike Ward was ordained as a new minister on Sunday, November 8, 2015 by the Federation of Christian Ministries. She recently graduated from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission’s Police and Fire Chaplain Training Academy in Burien and has been appointed to serve as the Chaplain for the Sequim Police Department.
The primary role of a Law Enforcement Chaplain is to provide support services and care to law enforcement officers, their families, crime victims and their family members who are referred by the officers. Along with her professional history as an administrator in the healthcare field, Ward brings 30 years of experience as a veteran law enforcement wife to the position.
Ward served previously in the Sequim Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program where she began her training to become a Law Enforcement Chaplain. She has over 100 hours of specialized training including completion of Addiction Counseling and Wellness at Peninsula College. Other areas of specialized training include individual and group crisis intervention and peer support, classes in incident command systems, disaster behavioral health, spirituality in healthcare, and suicide prevention.