Waterford — Delivering bad news is a regular part of a police officer's job — and now Waterford cops will have a helping hand when they do it.

Taking the lead from a longtime program in the Norwich police department, the Waterford department now has a volunteer chaplain unit that will bring a gentler side to the harder parts of the officers' jobs.

Four local pastors — Joe Paskiewicz, Joe Parise, Ken Hall and David Moynihan — have joined the department and will be on hand to support officers through tough times. The four all lead different congregations of various Christian denominations, but act in a nondenominational capacity and are open to having clergy members of any race or religion join them.

Their assistance to the police department will include the duty of telling people their family members have died, something that weighs heavily on officers' minds, said Moynihan, senior pastor of Waterford's First Baptist Church.

"As big and strong as they are, they absolutely hate giving death notifications," he said.

While officers are trained to break bad news to people, Waterford Police Chief Brett Mahoney said doing it on a regular basis adds stress to an already stressful situation.

"Having to tell someone that their loved one has passed away is horrendous," Mahoney said. "I think our officers are really good at dealing with the family and helping them out — but that's not their main function."

The chaplains will be on call 24/7 on weeklong rotations, ready to go along with the officers to notify families of a death and stay to help with funeral arrangements, prayer or anything the family members ask for.

"These gentlemen preside over wakes, funerals, baptisms, you name it," Mahoney said. "It allows the family to have someone that is better equipped to deal with their grieving process than an officer."

"This softens everything," he said.

The chaplains also will serve as a confidential resource for officers who need religious guidance, answers to moral questions or just an opportunity to vent.

The Norwich department initiated its program when officers started talking about the need for chaplain assistance following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It's well worth any time we can invest in it," said Gary Poorman, a pastor at Leffingwell Baptist Church in Bozrah and the senior chaplain in the Norwich police unit. "We’re there for the entire police department. We are able to talk and listen ... it’s a morale booster."

In a profession notorious for attracting people who are reluctant to share their feelings, any effort to encourage officers to express themselves can help, said Waterford Sgt. James Dimmock, who initiated his town's program.

"We get policy and procedure training ... but dealing with those emotions, we don't know how to cope with that aspect of it," he said. "This would take some of that burden off, and that pressure."

Moynihan said police officers usually can benefit from the opportunity to talk to a neutral and confidential source, regardless of whether they are religious.

"It's usually a very closed community, not given to opening themselves up to other people," he said. "They're not given to sharing much about their personal life."

The chaplains will be on hand for the harder moments for the officers, but also the joyous ones.

"When there's a promotion, or a new officer sworn in, these guys will be there and they'll say prayers," Mahoney said.

The police chaplains in Norwich also have assisted with projects like a "blue light" campaign so households can display light bulbs in support of police officers during the winter holiday season, and a Secret Santa Christmas gift program.

The Waterford police chaplains have been on duty for about two months, with assistance from Poorman and another Norwich chaplain, Rev. Chuck Tyree.

They eventually will pass on the responsibility of religious counsel for Waterford's officers to the four Waterford chaplains, who attended a two-day training course in New Jersey over the summer and already have gone on death notice calls and four-hour ride-alongs with individual officers.

"We're there to be an encouragement," Moynihan said. "It's really easy to get cynical and jaded because of what they're exposed to ... and we're there to endeavor to give some kind of comfort in the midst of a terrible situation."

m.shanahan@theday.com