Joliet police chaplain recovers after passing out during police memorial due to heat

The Rev. Chris Groh, chaplain to the Joliet Police Department, looks forward to the annual Will County Law Enforcement Memorial Day service, which was held May 19 at the courthouse.

But shortly after the service started, Groh passed out due to the heat.

He said he was standing near the courthouse and out of the sun, where a “nice breeze” was blowing. But then Groh’s back hurt; so he sat in a chair.

“I was in the sun and getting warmer and warmer,” Groh said. “That kind of contributed to things.”

Groh was treated for dehydration at Silver Cross Hospital and home by 5:30 p.m. that day, taking it easy and drinking fluids, he said.

Yet Groh considers his experience on May 19 insignificant compared with what police officers are prepared to face every day, as Wednesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, shows. Groh said the border patrol agent who responded to the shooting is one example of how quickly police must act, even if they’re already assigned elsewhere.

“Your training has to kick in,” Groh said. “They [police officers] have to protect themselves, protect other people … it really doesn’t make sense why some people want to defund the police. The solution is to fund the police so they have enough officers, to fund the police so they have the training to do the job we expect them to do.”

This was Groh’s 26th year at the Will County Law Enforcement Memorial Day service, an annual event for more than 40 years, he said. Attendees include parents, children and even grandchildren who never met their grandparents, Groh said. It also includes community members who simply want to show their support, he said.

The event is especially poignant for Groh.

“As I look at that list, so many of those officers I personally knew,” Groh said.

Groh said his service to the police department and fire department is simply part of his priestly ministry and similar to his role as pastor at both St. Mary Magdalene and St. Bernard Catholic churches in Joliet. He celebrates their happy moments and supports them in challenging ones, he said.

“It’s easy to criticize police,” Groh said. “But at the same time, they’ve [the community] got to realize it’s a very difficult job. And it’s a risky job. They never know what they’re going to be dealing with or walking into. They’re there to help the community, to keep the community safe.”

Groh said police don’t know what to expect when they step inside a building or someone’s home. The parties of domestic dispute might turn on them, he said. People pulled over for traffic violations might start shooting, he said.

“When I started 26 years ago, you did have some belligerent people at traffic stops, but for the most part they were cooperative,” Groh said. “Now it seems as if everyone has an attitude. ‘Why are you stopping me? You have no right to stop me, blah, blah, blah.’”

Groh doesn’t feel such a statement is an exaggeration but a reflection of societal attitudes today.

“Looking at how much bickering and fighting there is just on social media,” Groh said. “We’re in an era of what I call entitlement. People have the attitude that they are entitled to do this. Or ‘What are you going to give me?’ or ‘What are you going to provide me?’ The older attitude was, ‘What can I do to contribute to society, to try to build things up?’ Now it’s ‘What am I entitled to?’ as opposed to ‘What can I share or give to other people?’”

Granted many police calls are routine, he said. But some are stressful, such as drug overdose or the death of a child, he said.

Or, in the case of Uvalde, Texas, the death of 19 children.

“They’re [police officers] walking in with certain protocols they have to follow and reports they have to make,” Groh said. “But at the same time, they’re dealing with the emotions the families are feeling at that point, like losing a child or losing a loved one. And they expect you to go back on the street and wait for the next call. Fortunately, a lot of our watch commanders are sensitive enough to give the guys a little bit of a break at the station and allow them to catch their breath before they have to go back out.”

This is why Groh pastors two churches and serves as chaplain to local firefighters and police officers.

“As I said to one of the police officers when I was waiting for tests at the hospital in the afternoon: I didn’t see it as a job. You’re part of a family,” Groh said. “The police and fire departments: We support one another and help one another whenever there is a need. It’s not anything I see as being burdensome. I think I get as much out of as they get from my presence. I think that’s important.”

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A wreath sits in front of the Will County Law Enforcement Memorial monument at the Forty-first Will County Law Enforcement Memorial Day service. Thursday, May 19 2022, in Joliet. (Gary Middendorf - gmiddendorf@shawmedia.com/Gary Middendorf)