Many cops, he says, are isolated, conflicted, and in desperate need of understanding and grace. He spent several years as a missionary in the Ivory Coast and returned to the U.S. to launch POM in 1996. He has ministered in critical situations, including the Focus on the Family hostage crisis of 1996 and last year's Columbine High School massacre. CT senior writer Wendy Zoba spoke with Lee recently at his Colorado Springs office. Law enforcement is a subculture, and you have to understand that subculture in order to minister effectively.
Police have their own language, norms, mores, and rituals.
Anytime you have an identifiable subculture, you have, by definition, a distancing from the main culture. Our ideas about police officers are often formed by media, and we have a stereotypical view of these folks. We don't quite view them as real people. With shows like Cops , you only see the chases. You don't see the officer sitting there for two or three hours waiting, the slow shifts, or the paperwork.