SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

THE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF

SWORN OFFICERS AND CIVILIANS IN THE
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

CURRENT ISSUES AND A WAY FORWARD

CURT TAYLOR GRIFFITHS, PH.D.

SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY | SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

ELI SOPOW, PH.D.

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM | UNIVERSITY CANADA WEST

AND

JOSHUA J. MURPHY, M.A.

DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY | KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Curt T. Griffiths, Ltd.

December 2021

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The Study

Objectives:
• Determine the current state of officer and civilian mental health and well -
being in the department and the impact of organizational, operational, and
work/life balance stressors
• Examine the current capacity of the VicPD to respond to the mental health
and well-being needs of officers and civilians
• Record the lived experiences of officers and civilians

Method
• Administration of an on-line survey, with provision for comments
o Response rate: 79% of officers; 47% of civilians
o Series of questions about workplace culture, collective care and
stigma, workplace stress and stressors, feelings about
psychological health
o Several clinical scales embedded in the survey, including a burnout
inventory, PTSD scale
• Focus group sessions
o 8 total (SMT, union executive, sergeants, constables, civilians, and
a mixed group of constables and civilians)
o Approximately 50 officers and 30 civilians participated

Key findings

All workplaces operate on the interconnectivity of their culture (what the values
and important measures are), their reporting structures, their various systems of
operations from HR to communication, and the resultant impact on the
workplace climate (job satisfaction, morale, emotional and physical wellness).
These combined factors determine the quality of service. A disconnect in this
interoperability of workplace factors often results in employee stress,
dysfunctional communications, and failed objectives.

A study of Victoria Police Department (VicPD) civilian and sworn members

shows that low levels of morale and higher rates of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder are connected to low levels of support for emotional wellness, low
confidence by employees in senior police management, the Police Board, and
municipal councils plus poor internal communications. The study presents

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several steps forward in a “Roadmap” of change management requiring minimal
financial expenditure and high employee involvement.

1. The workplace culture and related factors

The majority of civilians and officers describe the workplace culture in negative
terms, using terms such as “toxic,” “negative,” and “micro -managed.” The
workplace culture is described as characterized by a lack of trust, little
communication between the SMT and officer ranks, and an SMT that is
preoccupied with external events and stakeholders to the perceived detriment of
the officers.

However, bullying and harassment are not sources of stress for the large
majority of officers and civilians.

• For many officers, the dynamics of life inside the building are more
challenging than those faced on the street. Contributing to this was the
opaque nature of SMT decision-making and the rumours and stress that
surround impending decisions into which the rank-and-file have had
minimal or any, input. They also feel that their opinions do not count in the
organization and that there will be consequences should they speak up
and express their views. This includes disclosing mental health
challenges.

• Both civilians and officers generally spoke favourably of their direct

supervisors, and it is these persons and their peers to whom they are
most likely to disclose mental health challenges.

• With respect to mental health, a significant number of officers felt that the
department was not a healthy environment, and that the department did
not value members’ mental health. The absence of a peer -to-peer
mentoring program, a wellness coordinator, and a lack of trust of senior
management contribute to officers being reluctant to disclose when they
are experiencing mental health challenges. The commonly used (but not
best practice) Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) program was last
offered in 2018. Issues related to mental health appear to be dealt with by
a “side of the desk” approach. Officers who are away from the department
on leave often feel isolated and forgotten about.

The following table shows the extent to which officers and civilians perceive
support from key entities.

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2. The workplace structure and systems

• For many civilians and officers, the SMT is distant and too focused on
external relationships and challenges and not enough on their well -being.

• The dynamics of the workplace culture may hinder officers disclosing that
they are experiencing mental health challenges.

• There is a strong sentiment among officers and civilians that the

organizational dynamics have a far greater impact on their mental health
and well-being than operational issues.

• Civilians and officers often feel treated as a “resource” rather than as

people.

• There is a strong desire among the civilians and officers to improve

communication with senior management, to have the opportunity to
participate in collaborative decision-making on the issues that affect the
department, and to build trust.

• The department does not have programs and supports in place for the
police family.

The following table shows the top five stressors for VicPD officers.

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3. The workplace climate of stress, PTSD, and morale

• The top five stressors for officers are workload, internal politics, lack of
support from Municipal Council, the demands of frontline policing, and
oversight.

• Twenty-two percent of the officers and 24% of the civilians who are
currently working in the department have clinical symptoms of PTSD.

• As of October 2021, 52 officers were away from the department on

administrative leave. This represents 20% of the workforce. Although
there are a variety of reasons for these absences, many of them are
associated with mental health challenges.

• Officers have high rates of emotional exhaustion and de -personalization,

that is, exhibiting cynicism and concerns that their job is hardening them
as a person.

• Civilians feel they are not supported by their union and struggle to get
their union’s attention.

• Generally, civilians feel that there is a good working relationship between

civilians and officers.

• The lack of support from Municipal Council and the Police Board is a
major source of stress for civilians and officers and affects their mental
health and well-being.

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• Due to a lack of resources, the department does not have a
comprehensive mental health and well-being strategy and has few support
programs and services in place.

• Most civilians and officers feel that the department do es not value them as
person nor is it concerned about their mental health.

• Officers and civilians are reluctant to disclose mental health challenges.

A Roadmap for Moving Forward

The findings from the survey and the focus group sessions provide the
foundation for initiatives that can improve the mental health and well -being of
VicPD civilians and officers. Effectively addressing the issues identified in
this study will require senior management and the Union to collaborate on the
development of a departmental mental health and well -being roadmap or
strategic plan.

The framework of the roadmap is based on the premise that proactive

initiatives are required to ensure the mental heal th and well-being of officers,
as well as the department having the capacities to assist those officers who
are experiencing difficulties. It highlights the sources of the challenges faced
by civilians and officers, as reported in the qualitative comments on the
survey and in their responses to the clinical scales embedded in the survey.

Resources are the key to addressing these challenges and these decisions
lie in the hands of Municipal Council and the Police Board. However,

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departmental leadership also has a critical role to play in developing and
implementing policies that will address the issues identified in the study.

A key component of the roadmap is creating an organizational culture of

civilian and officer wellness. This will enhance efforts to secure participation
in wellness programs and assist in overcoming the stigma that prevent
personnel from acknowledging that they are experiencing mental health
issues and seeking assistance.

The roadmap is centered on the three interrelated components: identified at

the outset of this report:

1. Organizational
2. Operational
3. Work/life balance

These are all potential impacts on the mental health and well -being of
civilians and officers. And all are impacted by the lack of resources. The
findings of this study indicate that there is much work to be done inside the
building to build trust between the ranks and with civilians as there is dealing
with stakeholders outside the building.

The development of a roadmap should take into consideration the following :

• Any initiatives taken by the department to address the issues that are
reflected in the survey findings should be evidence -based and informed by
best practices.
• All stakeholders in the department should be included in a consultative
process.
• The approach to civilian and officer mental health and well-being should
be holistic.
• Police officer families should be included in the model of mental health
and well-being that is developed.
• A consultative process with CUPE will have to be developed to address
the concerns and issues of civilians.
• Any initiatives taken by the department to address the issues that are
reflected in the survey findings should be evidence -based and informed by
best practices.
• All stakeholders in the department should be included in a consultative
process.
• The approach to civilian and officer mental health and well -being should
be holistic.
• Police officer families should be included in the model of mental health
and well-being that is developed.

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• A consultative process with CUPE will have to be developed to address
the concerns and issues of civilians who belong to that union.

The approach to mental health and well-being outlined in the roadmap must
be holistic and address the workplace culture, the operational environment ,
and employee work/life balance. Specific programmatic initiatives must be
integrated into an overall plan that has identified champions, benchmarks,
and performance outcomes. Stand-alone programs and services will be less
effective.

The roadmap should be informed by initiatives taken by police services in

other jurisdictions. Consideration should be given to the extent to which
these initiatives might be relevant/applicable to VicPD. This will ensure that
the department is a continuous learning organiza tion.

The legitimacy and potential effectiveness of any initiatives that are

developed to address the mental health and well -being of civilians and
officers will be enhanced if all stakeholders in the department are
substantively involved in the dialogue. A review of other police services that
have engaged in this process reveals several key attributes:

• The parameters of the consultation are set by the SMT but the overall
initiative is a collaborative effort between the SMT and the Union.
• The creation of working groups, each tasked with developing
solutions/strategies to address the recommendations set out in an
independent report.
• Careful consideration given to persons selected to lead each of the
groups; those persons who are committed to the topic at hand, are
passionate, and are well-respected by their peers.
• Creation of a Continuous Improvement Committee, composed of officers
from all ranks and representatives from the civilians.

Based on the findings from this study, the Union and the SMT should
consider:

• Developing a comprehensive mental health and wellness strategy for the

department, identifying the resources that will be required, specific
initiatives, benchmarks and performance outcomes.
• Enhancing the dialogue with the Police Board and Munici pal Council.
Studies conducted in Canadian police services revealed that the large
majority of officers have little, if any, knowledge of the Police Board, its
mandate and authorities.

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• Steps should be taken to create a workplace culture where civilians an d
officers can freely express their concerns and share their lived experience
without fear of reprisal or affecting their opportunities for promotion and
success in the department.
• Discussions should be initiated to create ways to improve lines of
communication between the SMT and other ranks in the department.
• In collaboration with the union that represents civilian employees in the
department, develop a mental health and well-being strategy that includes
addressing the issues that affect the workplace cu lture for civilians.
• Create a forum that will provide the opportunity for the SMT and civilians
to meet on a regular basis for candid conversations about issues that
affect the civilians’ workplace culture.
• Develop strategies to improve relationships betwe en officers and the
SMT, including addressing issues of trust.
• Reduce the level of SMT micromanagement to empower Inspectors and
supervisors to respond to the mental health needs of officers within their
span of control.
• Implement the principles of organizational procedural justice.
• Adopt a model of health-oriented leadership.
• Require mandatory annual psychological visits for all officers. This will
serve to reduce the stigma that often prevents officers from disclosing
mental health issues and seeking professional assistance.
• Develop a robust public relations strategy that will facilitate o ngoing
communication with key stakeholders and the general community.
• Adopt an early intervention system (EIS).
• Conduct a review of the promotion and tenure policies to ensure
consistency, transparency, and fairness.
• Ensure that mental health and well-being programs are accessible to
uniformed patrol. This can be enhanced by the use of online materials
such as the PSPNET approach.
• Create the position of Wellness Officer to assist officers who are
experiencing mental health challenges and to liaise with officers who are
mental-health related leave.
• The SMT and Union Executive should form a working committee to
consider the findings of this report and develop strategies for addressing
the systemic issues that have been addressed. The current workplace
culture impacts officers, their families, their colleagues, and their
performance in the community.

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A sense of urgency and purpose

“If PTSD is presumptive, then policing needs to find new ways to deal with
it from the beginning. Once a member has PTSD, you have failed.” –
VicPD officer

Time is of the essence. There are 52 (and counting) officers on leave from
the department, patrol shifts are struggling to meet minimum staffing
levels, and 22% of officers and 24% of civilians who are on the job ha ve
clinical symptoms of PTSD. Their needs should be tended to immediately.
Of concern is that both on the survey and in the focus group sessions,
civilians and officers indicated they had no expectations that the findings
of this study would have any impact on the issues that have been
identified; the words “zero impact” were frequently used.

There is an opportunity to change this pessimistic outlook by developing a

plan that addresses the issues that impact the mental health and well -
being of civilians and officers; adopt a health-oriented leadership
approach; alter the workplace dynamic and culture; and create positive
working relationships among officers, civilian members, and the SMT.
These initiatives, in turn, will result a healthier organization, healthier
civilians and officers, a more productive department, and a safer
community.

The workplace culture in any organization is complex. It is to be expected

that employees will have different lived experiences, expectations,
personalities, levels of resilience, and aspirations.

The findings of this study reveal those complexities and identify specific
areas that require attention by the SMT and the Union to create a
workplace culture that facilitates and enhances civilian and officer mental
health and well-being. This, in turn, will improve officer morale, job
satisfaction, performance, and officer and civilian work/life balance.

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