The Groton Police Department is pleased to introduce the members of our Police Chaplain Program. All three of our chaplains recently completed Police Chaplain Training and they are very excited to get involved and assist us in any way possible. We are privileged to have their experience and guidance as they assist our officers and our community in many ways. The Chaplains will fill a variety of roles and duties, assisting officers in the field at times, while also providing spiritual guidance to our officers and their families while assisting with officer wellness initiatives, community outreach and much more. They will also play a very important role for the community, assisting citizen of Groton who may be impacted by crimes or tragedies.
Deacon Douglas Hoffman has served as a Groton Town Police Chaplain since his retirement from our department as a Sergeant in 2015. “Deacon Doug” served with GTPD from September 1987 until March 2015. During his almost 28 years, Chaplain Hoffman worked as a Patrol Officer, K9 Officer, School Resource Officer, Youth Officer, Investigator and Sergeant. He was a DARE instructor in our local schools and served as a Marine Unit Patrol Boat Operator and Firearms and Taser Instructor. Chaplain Hoffman is also a Veteran of the United States Air Force and a fourth-generation Police Officer! He was ordained as a Permanent Deacon for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich on June 12, 2005 and he is currently assigned to three parishes – St Mary Mother of the Redeemer Parish, Sacred Heart Parish (both in Groton) and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Gales Ferry.
Pastor John Ludka is the founding and Senior Pastor of the Community Baptist Church of Groton. Prior to entering into the pastoral ministry, Chaplain Ludka worked in several other professions including being a semi-trailer mechanic, head of maintenance for a hotel group, and as a supervisor in a division of the aerospace industry. Pastor John also serves as a board member of a youth camp and has earned his master’s degree as well as a certification in church consultation. He is a native New Englander, having been born in Rhode Island and living in Connecticut prior to moving away to attend college. Upon graduating from college, Chaplain Ludka served as one of the assistant pastors of a large and multi-national church in Long Beach, California, in which his main focus was guiding people to live for a purpose bigger than themselves. While training for the ministry, Chaplain Ludka served inner city youth and families in both Chicago and Los Angeles. Pastor Ludka was ordained and licensed as a minister in 1994 and he has a personal motto: “Life is an adventure, live it with purpose.”
Finally, someone else who is no stranger to our team is Community Outreach Specialist Maria Nott, who will also participate in our Chaplain Program. Maria graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Crisis and Trauma Counseling. She trained under Crisis Response International and was ordained in 2023 by her Pastor, Shaun Cason of Spirit Road Church of Gales Ferry as an International Fellow of Chaplains. Maria has also served at Spirit Road Church for the past three and half years. Currently, Maria is one of two Community Outreach Specialists for the Town of Groton Police Department. In her spare time, Maria also works to assist and support law enforcement officers and their families throughout the region through her non-profit organization, Back the Blue Southeastern CT.
Again, we are so happy to have them as part of our GTPD team!
