A chaplain officer is a religious leader who provides emotional, moral, and spiritual support to officers, staff, and their families. They can be volunteers or sworn officers, and they come from all faiths and are fully ordained. Chaplains can be paid employees of the agency or work as volunteers. They provide confidential support in several key areas of law enforcement and the communities they serve, including officer wellness and support, spiritual support, and community-police engagement. They also provide counseling and referrals to mental health services or other faith leaders for officers in need of help and confidentiality. Chaplains are not typically licensed clinical counselors, but they adhere to absolute confidentiality and are prepared to help people with many life challenges, including work-related issues, combat stress, deployment, marriage and family, substance abuse, grief, and finances. In addition to assisting individual officers, chaplains are essential to the functioning of the department. They assume multiple roles and serve as liaisons, counselors, business agents, spiritual guides, and community outreach specialists.