Indiana State Police Chaplain Retires After 48 Years of Service 

Peru – Yesterday, a luncheon was held, at the Indiana State Peru Post, to honor Indiana State Police Chaplain Reverend John A. “Jack” Hess and his 48 years of service as a police chaplain. Hess has ministered to various police and fire department in Ohio and Indiana. He spent 12 of those years tending to the emotional and spiritual needs of employees with the Indiana State Police Department. “There are numerous emotional and physical stressors in police work, stated Indiana State Police Peru Post Commander Lt. Jeremy Kelly.” Reverend Hess was always there with an inspirational word, a caring ear, or a supportive hug. He and other police chaplains are unsung heroes who help police officers create order in a sometimes chaotic and cruel world. He will be missed.” In 2017, Reverend Hess was presented the John “Jack” Price Excellence in Chaplaincy Award.  The award is given annually by the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) for a lifetime of achievement and excellence of service in law enforcement chaplaincy. He was the twentieth recipient, and fifth Indiana State Police chaplain to receive the John Price Award. The award was established in 1984 to honor the late Chaplain John A. (Jack) Price, who served the Albuquerque, NM Police Department. Price consistently demonstrated excellence in his own chaplain ministry, encouraged others, and often brought positive attention to those he saw provide quality service in the chaplaincy of others.  John Price served as ICPC president from 1977 to 1979. Hess has been a member of the ICPC since 1977. Hess started his ministering of first responders in 1970, while he was the assistant pastor at the Second Presbyterian Church in Newark, OH. He volunteered as a chaplain for the Newark Police and Fire Departments.  As Hess’s career as a minister took him and his wife of 40 years, Martha, their two children, Eric and Jennifer, to various assignments in the Midwest, Hess continued to serve as a volunteer chaplain for various police and fire departments. In addition to the Newark departments, Hess has served as a volunteer chaplain for the Huntington County, IN Sheriff’s Department, the Defiance County, OH Sheriff’s Department, the Defiance City Police and Fire Departments, the Randolph County, IN Sheriff’s Department, and the Winchester, IN Fire Department.  In 2000, Hess became the pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Peru, IN. That same year he became a volunteer chaplain for the Miami County Sheriff’s Department. In 2006, Hess became a volunteer chaplain for the Indiana State Police serving from the Indiana State Police Peru Post. In 2009, Hess retired as a pastor, but he continued to serve as a volunteer chaplain for the Miami County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police. Hess has ministered to first responders in many locations and during many trying situations to include deploying for eight days in New York after the 9/11 attack. Hess also deployed to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  Hess believes in his 48 years as a volunteer chaplain he has ministered and provided aid at approximately 12 tornados, numerous flooding events, a plane crash in which six people died, he has made countless death notifications, and provided comfort at four line of duty law enforcement deaths. The John Price Award was not the first time Hess had been recognized for outstanding chaplaincy during his 48 years of service.  In 2009, he was honored to be the second person in the United States, and fourth in the world, to be an official “Keeper of the Sconestone.” This is a “Stone of Kindness” that has been on a tour of the world since it was carved.  In 2010, Hess was presented the Indiana State Police Meritorious Service Award for distinguished service to the Indiana State Police Department. In 2014, he was recognized by the ICPC with The Wilbert A. Cunningham Award for excellence in law enforcement chaplaincy. Hess is one of approximately 50 volunteer chaplains who serve the Indiana State Police Department throughout Indiana. Chaplains provide emotional and spiritual support to Indiana State Police personnel, their immediate family members, and to members of the public who are victims of a crime or involved in a crash. Police chaplains ride along with officers and respond to critical incidents and disasters. They are generally available to assist with a wide range of crisis interventions. The program is intended to mitigate the negative effects of stress among department personnel and their families. Chaplains also help compassionately resolve distressing situations and may serve the pluralistic religious needs of department personnel, their families, or victims of a crime or crashes. Hess is originally from Wilkinsburg, PA, and a 1962 graduate of Wilkinsburg High School. He is a 1966 graduate of Westminster College and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology. In 1970, Hess graduated from the Louisville Presbyterian Theology Seminary with Master of Divinity degree. He will be retiring to Ohio to be closer to family.