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The latest episode of Sheepdog and Shepherd features former Arizona border chief Rich Jessup, whose career has been defined by obedience, both within the law enforcement sphere and to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jessup never set out to become a chief. On the contrary: when the mayor approached him after the department had cycled through five chiefs, he resisted. He already knew there was corruption inside the agency and within city government. Stepping in would not make him popular.
In his own words, Jessup always strived to straddle the line between calling and consequence, and refused to ever confuse being a leader with being popular, because the two terms do not mean the same thing.
Jessup’s background is unusual even by law enforcement standards. Athlete. Youth pastor. Police officer. Educator. By 25, he says he’d already walked through the four lanes he felt God placed in his heart.
But as he describes it, God made the calling clear.
Jessup accepted the role on one condition: that he would be allowed to fix what was broken. What followed was a decade of leadership rooted in faith, integrity, and courage. He openly prayed in Jesus’ name before city council meetings despite pushback, mentored officers inside his department, and made difficult decisions knowing accountability ultimately comes from above.
When he sat down with Kyle and Greg, Jessup shared some of the defining moments from his patrol, including surviving gunfire after praying for guidance during a manhunt and a traffic stop that turned into what he describes as a divine reminder of his calling.
Now through Law Enforcement Leadership Ministries, Jessup is focused on mentoring officers and strengthening marriages, reminding law enforcement that Romans 13 calls them more than enforcers: it calls them ministers.
And for the officers who feel like they’re drowning quietly behind the badge, the message is simple but necessary: you were placed “for such a time as this.”
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