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Simi Valley police chaplain offers comfort during times of tragedy
It was Aug. 4, 1995, and Witman spent more than 10 hours that evening trying to comfort and support the family, friends and fellow officers of 28-year-old Michael Clark, who had been fatally shot while checking on the welfare of a suicidal Simi man. "That was a tough one," Witman said quietly as he carefully recounted the events of that summer day more than a decade ago. Since co-founding the Simi Valley Police Department's volunteer chaplain program in 1978, Witman has responded to more than 250 calls- some to help officers cope with crisis situations, others to deliver tragic news of slain family members, and each one to provide some sensitive support.
He talked about a time more than 20 years ago when a child was struck and killed by a bus on the corner of Cochran Street and Erringer Road. "It took a great deal of time to get the coroner out to Simi from Ventura," Witman said. "The street was blocked off for seven or eight hours. The officers had to stay there the whole time, so I spent some time circulating between them, trying to lighten the load and relieve the focus." The retired pastor still serves as a chaplain in the police department- a longtime commitment of selflessness that recently earned him the Simi Valley Police Foundation's President's Award. Mayor Paul Miller, a former Simi Valley police chief, called Witman the "ultimate" citizen volunteer. "He took time out of his personal schedule not only to be available for members of the police department but to make himself available when tragedies occurred for any citizens in the community," Miller said. "He really wanted to help. He's been a great asset to the police department." Miller said he remembered only one time that Witman voiced any complaint. "He came in one day and said he felt he wasn't being called out enough," Miller said. "After that, I told the watch commander to make certain to call Frank if anything came up. Even if it was 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning and he had (church) services later, he still wanted to help." Elsie Witman, Frank's wife, said that watching her husband stay on call 24/7 "went with the territory" of being married to him. "Many of the calls seemed to come in the middle of the night," Elsie said. "I was never sure when he'd come back home. And he wouldn't always be able to call me, back then before cellphones." Still, throughout the couple's 54 years of marriage, Elsie has always been very proud and supportive of her husband's desire to help the community. Frank Witman, a Pennsylvania native who comes from a long line of clergymen on both his mother's and father's sides, moved in with extended family in Pasadena in 1948 in hopes of furthering his education. He attended Santa Monica City College and Cal State Los Angeles before earning a master's degree in theology and a doctorate in ministry from the Claremont School of Theology. From 1953 to 1955, Witman served with the United States Army at Fort Ord, Calif., then spent 12 years in two other churches before being appointed senior pastor of United Methodist Church in Simi Valley in 1978. Witman's service with the Simi Valley Police Department began that same year. "I'm a Rotarian, and the police chief then was Robert Sojka," Witman said. "He had lunch with me one day at Rotary and asked if I would consider starting the chaplain program." In the last three decades, Frank has come to dearly love the city and community he's supported all these years. He and Elsie have two sons, Mark and Paul, a granddaughter, Lauren, and a grandson, Peter, who all live in Simi Valley. They said they plan to stay here, and Frank is still dedicated to serving the public. "After all these years, there's one thing I haven't seen change," Witman said. "It still has that small-town feel. We like that feeling." |
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