Durham police officers with PTSD describe isolation, allege privacy breaches by the service

Several Durham police officers diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) say they believe the service isolated them from the day they went on mental health leave and has not provided them any meaningful support. 

They say there’s a workplace culture where confidential medical information is mismanaged and senior management imply there are members who lie about having mental health injuries. Officers who return are nicknamed “broken toys” and their careers are never the same, several said. 

Chief Peter Moreira said the service prioritizes mental health support. He says he manages serious staffing pressures caused by the number of members on leave without stigmatizing them. 

But all six officers CBC News spoke with said DRPS hasn’t reached out to them in a supportive way. 

“Why are we left on an island to rot and feel like all this work we’ve done over the years was pointless?” said Joseph, which is a pseudonym. 

CBC News is using pseudonyms to protect all the officers' identities as they fear retaliation for speaking with the media.

Moreira said he has never used the phrase “broken toys” and hasn’t heard it within the service since he was appointed in March 2023.

“Nor would I tolerate it if I did,” the chief said in a one-on-one interview. 

Moreira said he is disappointed to hear what officers told CBC News, and he wants to learn more about these officers’ experiences.

“I'm willing to learn. I'm willing to listen,” he said.  

The most damning allegation involves how the service handles officers' private medical information. 

Four officers told CBC News that members’ confidential information is shared within the workplace with people who should not have access to that information.

In one example, CBC News viewed an internal document that shows one officer’s PTSD diagnosis was known by at least two members of the service who did not have an obvious reason to know his diagnosis — just a day after he filed his WSIB application. 

This officer did not file a complaint or otherwise ask the DRPS about this. To protect the officer’s identity, CBC News did not provide Moreira details about the specific incident.