Max Yospe, who established the chaplains corps for the Salt Lake City Police and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's departments, died Jan. 26 at age 82.
Born to Russian-Jewish parents in Chicago, he converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and may have been the first LDS bishop of Jewish extraction.
During World War II he was stationed with the Army as a military police officer in Tooele. After he left the Army, he joined the Tooele Police Department. He started his career with the Salt Lake City Police on Feb. 1, 1951, and at first worked in the anti-vice, detective and traffic divisions. He eventually worked in nearly all of the divisions, including homicide.
He became the bishop of the Cannon Fourth Ward, Cannon Stake of the LDS Church.
In the police department, he was administrative secretary to eight chiefs, then became head of the department's personnel and records section. As a sergeant, he received in 1973 the Utah Public Employees Association "Courtesy is Contagious" award.
Mr. Yospe organized a volunteer police chaplain corps made up of representatives of several religious denominations. In 1975, the First Presidency of the LDS Church approved his appointment as chaplain to the Salt Lake City Police Department. He was the department's first full-time chaplain.
After his retirement from the force, he continued to work part time with the department to administer the chaplain service.
Viewing will be tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 S. Highland Drive. Funeral is Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the East Millcreek 2nd Ward Chapel, 3750 S. Hillside (2500 East), Holladay.