BGPD Chaplain Joe Causey retires after nine years of service

It’s a job not many could handle—delivering the worst news to a family—their loved one has passed.

The Bowling Green Police Department is saying goodbye to one their beloved chaplains, who does just that.

Chaplain Joe Causey is retiring from the department after serving the community for nine years.

Being a chaplain means delivering death notifications to families and providing support and someone to talk to in times of need.

Causey even meets with officers regularly to discuss the horrific things they may have seen on the job and work through those emotions together.

“When something like that has happened, it’s a traumatic experience not only for the family but also for the officers on the scene doing the work that needs to be done. It can be traumatic for everybody, so we get an opportunity to work with them, we get an opportunity to ride with them, to talk with them and just see how things are going and just to be there if you need somebody.”

Although Causey’s last day with the department is this Sunday, he still plans to be a chaplain for the Medical Center of Bowling Green and continue preaching at various churches.

BGPD Major Matt Edwards says, “he’s been very reliable. You could call him at 3am say there’s a death notification that we need you to do and he’d be right there. You could also call him at 3am if you just needed to talk with him.”

The department has two other chaplains and is working to fill Causey’s position right now.