Toby Nelson

As a law enforcement Chaplain for Grass Valley Police Department and the Nevada County Sheriff, he rides with officers and accompanies them into domestic violence situations, drug busts, on high-speed pursuits, present when arresting felons, and taking DUIs off the streets. Toby helps the Nevada County Sheriff Department by giving death notifications to families. He has gone through extensive training as a Chaplain and a disaster pastor. He is a member of International Conference of Police Chaplains and the International Critical Incident Stress Management Foundation. He regularly uses debriefing skills and is presently learning skills as a hostage negotiator.

Rev. Nelson's work as a disaster pastor began when he was about a thousand feet away from the World Trade Center on 9/11 where he then served as a Chaplain with the Red Cross for nine months.. Toby is the Chaplain to a federal disaster group (DMAT CA6) that responds to high risk medical events. He was in the Super Dome during the Katrina Hurricane, and in Haiti the day after the earthquake. Toby recently finished writing a book on ethics and disasters called, Confessions of a Disaster Pastor. He is a frequent trainer on disaster issues.

Toby Nelson attended San Jose State University in California and earned a Bachelors Degree in Psychology in 1968. Since then he earned a Master's degree to become a Presbyterian minister, and a Doctoral degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Toby has been married to Judy for 43 years and they have one son, Erik.

He is featured in the YouTube video: SuperDome during Katrina Hurricane

The Union Newspaper: http://www.theunion.com/article/20100121/NEWS/100129972