Kane County Sheriff appoints new chaplain

Police officers are rarely greeted with a smile.

Responding to fatal car crashes, investigating grisly crimes and serving as the bearers of bad news tends to take a toll on cops. That's where the Rev. Peter Spiro comes in. The Greek Orthodox priest was sworn in Monday as the Kane County Sheriff's Office's new police chaplain.

In that role Spiro will serve as a counselor, spiritual leader and friend to the department's 300 employees.

"I'm here to help you and I'm here to help you interface with the public in times of tragedy," Spiro said at his swearing-in ceremony at the sheriff's office headquarters in Geneva.

Spiro is pastor of St. Athanasios Church in Aurora, where he has served for the past 5ˆ¨ years. For the past five years he served as chaplain of the Illinois State Police's 15th district, a job he left for the sheriff's office.

"It's going to be good for the community that we have someone like Father Peter as part of or organization," said Sheriff Pat Perez. "The biggest thing is having a good moral compass in this agency."

Spiro will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He said deputies, dispatchers and other employees can turn to him for advice on marriage and family problems as well as job-related stress.

"If the house is strong, then you will continue to bring that strength out on the street," he said.

Spiro replaces former chaplain F. Shellie Reed, a retired Batavia police chief who served as sheriff's office chaplain until last year.

Spiro lives in Hoffman Estates with his wife, Dana, and two children age 5 and 9.