A Source of Strength

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Chaplains are ordained members of the clergy who donate their time and talents in partnership with the members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in service to our communities.
Our Chaplains foster relationships with staff members and the community by providing confidential, compassionate and caring support during both emergency and non-emergency situations that occur. They also have assisted first responders at natural and other disaster scenes under a unified command structure.

No one is confronted with more situations that create emotional, mental, and spiritual burdens than today’s law enforcement officers.  The chaplain’s ministry provides a source of strength to the law enforcement personnel and their families, other department members of our community.  Chaplains listen and participate in the workplace of law enforcement officers with empathy and experience, advising calmly in the midst of turmoil and danger, as well as offering assistance when appropriate or  requested.

A Sheriff Chaplains is a clergy person with special interest and training for providing pastoral care in the high powered and dangerous world of the law enforcement. This pastoral care is offered to all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, creed, or religion. It is offered without cost or the taint of proselytizing.

Sheriff Chaplains do some or all of the following:

• Counsel Law enforcement officers.
• Counsel other members of departments if requested
• Visit sick or injured personnel in homes and hospitals
• Give or assist in death notifications
• Teach personnel in the area of Stress Management
• Serve as part of a department’s Crisis Response Team
• Serve as liaison with other clergy in the community
• Perform funerals, memorials, and weddings
• Furnish responses to spiritual questions
• Offer invocations at special occasions; such as recruit graduations, awards ceremonies, and building dedications
• Serve on review boards, award boards, and other committees
• Provide assistance to victims and their families of our community in the event of crisis; such as fire, suicide, auto or plane accident, earthquake, or times of serious illness, injury, death or significant trauma.
• Counsel correction facility personnel
• Minister to the incarcerated

Custody Chaplain

Chaplain Eddie Perez (in the middle) is an ordained pastor and chaplain, who served as a volunteer chaplain at SB County Jail for 10 years before being hired as Senior Custody Chaplain in 2024.

DUTIES

• Coordinate all religious services for both jail facilities (Santa Maria NBJ and Santa Barbara SBJ).
• Schedules 32 volunteer chaplains for weekly services; coordinate quarterly training meetings with chaplain team.
• Provide spiritual counseling to Incarcerated Persons (IPs).
• When requested, provide spiritual counseling to custody deputies and staff.
• ✅Conduct group baptisms regularly for both facilities upon request.
• Death notifications for IPs whose family members have passed. Counsel IPs family members upon request.
• Assist medical and mental health staff with IPs when requested.
• Respond to IP requests for religious materials (Bibles, donated daily devotional pamphlets, etc.)
• Coordinate with donors to the chaplaincy for purchasing bus vouchers, as well as transportation out of county and out of state.
• Provide reading glasses for those in need, through donor contributions.
• Coordinate with the Santa Barbara Assistance League to collect and distribute clean clothing for IPs upon release, as requested.
• Collaborate with local county churches for bibles distributed to all IPs upon request.
• Collaborate with local county churches to collect hygiene items for IPs upon release.
• Senior Chaplain Eddie Perez volunteers his time outside of work hours to facilitate the Criminals and Gang Members Anonymous (CGA)course to IPs at both jail facilities. CGA is a highly effective program founded in CDCR by two unique men who were former Lifers. The program is offered to anyone who is willing to be sincere about their inability to stop committing crimes. CGA’s main purpose is to help IPs develop and practice a better way of living free of destructive addictions and reach out to help other criminals find a peaceful, productive way of living. To date, Santa Barbara County Jail is the only county providing this program.

Chaplain Eddie Perez’ Community Outreach

• ✅Coordinate the Annual ‘Christmas-in-the-Jail Event every December, bringing members of the Santa Barbara community together to provide a holiday gift bag for every IP in both facilities and distributing each gift bag on December 24th and 25th.
• Give lectures and presentations on issues concerning drug use awareness and gang involvement to middle school, high school, and college students and staff.
• Provide ongoing support and counsel to women and men coming out of human trafficking in Santa Barbara County.
• Collaborate with other chaplains in the tri-county area to provide mutual support and share program ideas.
• Facilitate monthly counseling groups with local and tri-county transition homes for men newly released from CDCR.
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The Sheriff’s Office currently has eight Chaplains all of whom received their training from the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC). This training enhances their abilities and better prepares them to serve within a law enforcement environment.

Click here to send an email if you are interested in the Chaplain Program. To reach Chaplain Eddie Perez directly call (805) 705-7991 or email enp5797@sbsheriff.org,