ST. THOMAS – A police chief accused a police officer of sending emails that were threatening, unwanted, and even had “elements of extortion,” according to a cease-and-desist notice.
The email from St. Thomas police Chief Marc Roskamp to Const. Helaine Hindley was presented as evidence during her disciplinary hearing under the Community Safety and Policing Act, which included numerous pages of emails.
“You have been sending unsolicited emails to Staff Inspector (Steve) Bogart, and others, that are threatening and unwanted, with the latest email containing elements of extortion,” Roskamp wrote on April 9, 2025.
“Your emails are clearly intended to create a hostile and unsafe work environment and cause undue stress and anxiety for the recipients while also violating legal and ethical boundaries.”
Roskamp warned Hindley that she could face consequences if she continues communicating with any police personnel unless through an appointed liaison or visits police property without prior approval.
Hindley, 49, is facing two counts of professional misconduct – harassment and not following procedures set by the chief of police – related to emails sent between June 2023 and July 2025.
The content of those emails addressed her mental health issues, experiences at work, and how the force handled her Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario complaint.
Hindley worked on child exploitation cases until taking medical leave in 2021 when she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario the following year.
“When I submitted my human rights complaint, I was really hoping that it would be an opportunity for the people involved that hurt me so badly to accept responsibility for what had been done to me, for them to act with integrity and accept that they made a mistake and learn from it,” she wrote on June 27, 2023.
“Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. When I got the response to my human rights complaint, I thought it was going to destroy me. I felt like I was being blamed for my PTSD.”
In his cease-and-desist email, Roskamp stated his primary goal as chief is supporting all police employees’ mental health.
“It remains my ongoing intention and obligation to support your mental health recovery,” he wrote to Hindley.
The chief also referred to an event on Feb. 6, 2025, when Hindley’s mental health crisis at a hardware store led first responders there. He mentioned senior leadership reviewed this incident and deemed a follow-up wellness check necessary.
“In recent months, I have been informed of your conduct in public places that have adversely affected your reputation as an STPS police officer and therefore the reputation of the police service,” Roskamp wrote.
“Your off-duty conduct has now reached a point where reviews may become investigations warranting disciplinary proceedings.”
Sitting in for herself during the hearing, Hindley argued that OPP’s wellness check was “overreach” since she’d already talked with emergency responders at the scene while her husband-a fellow officer-was called in to take her home.
Said internal investigation did not substantiate claims that her emails constituted harassment or showed she violated any directive from the chief.
This week saw Insp. John Crosby resume his testimony over two days Wednesday; heated exchanges between Hindley and St. Thomas police lawyer Ian Johnstone prompted hearings officer Colin Fosterberg to step in multiple times.
“I don’t like discussion back and forth. It’s not conducive to anything,” Fosterberg said. “If there’s an objection, object… But I don’t think we’re getting anywhere talking to each other.”
The hearing continues on Thursday.
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