Sheriff's captain turns in badge, plans move to pulpit

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — After more than three decades in law enforcement, a Douglas County Sheriff's Department captain is moving out of the squad car and, eventually, into the pulpit.

WOWT-TV reports that Matt Martin is retiring next week and plans to start his studies at a Lutheran seminary in St. Louis in August. After two years of study, he hopes for a call to a Missouri Synod church in eastern Nebraska or western Iowa.

At Martin’s home church in Logan, Iowa, Pastor Dan Steeb believes Martin has the makings of a good pastor, thanks in large part to his law enforcement experiences.

A life-changing moment before a run four years ago changed Martin's life. He was attending law enforcement training at the FBI Academy when he suffered a heart attack.

An FBI agent jogging by at the time saved Martin, and he says the near-death experience gave him new perspective.