As a part of the support network, the Volunteer Chaplain Team is on call 24/7 to provide spiritual guidance, counsel and comfort in times of crisis to law enforcement (including the Polk County Sheriff's Office and all local law enforcement agencies) and the community. The Chaplain Team is the liaison between the Sheriff's Office and community religious leaders, ministries and other agencies as needed. The Chaplains are not intended to replace an individual's own clergy, their role is primarily to listen and offer emotional and spiritual support to those in need. They also assist officers with some of their duties (including death notifications and victim support) and coordinate the Polk Jail Ministry.
Chaplains:
Rev. Jeremy Wood
Rev. Pat Overholt
About Dr. Osborn
Ordained in 1978, Dr. Osborn has and continues to serve churches in North and South Carolina (retiring in 2012 after 25 years at Silver Creek Baptist Church in Mill Spring). He holds a Master of Ministry degree from Mid-Atlantic Theological Seminary, Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Covington Theological Seminary and is an endorsed Sheriff's Chaplain by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Locally, he has been been involved with the Polk American Red Cross, Thermal Belt Outreach, Polk County Schools, Polk Department of Social Services, Mill Spring Volunteer Fire Department (retiring with 22 years of service) and has been a Polk County Sheriff's Chaplain since 1999. Dr. Osborn has been married to Judy for over 50 years and they have 3 children, 9 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.