ST. THOMAS – A police officer who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder is facing misconduct charges for reportedly criticizing senior leadership and disregarding an order to stop communicating directly with the city’s police board.
The allegations involving Const. Helaine Hindley, 49, were revealed on Tuesday during the first day of her disciplinary hearing under the Community Safety and Policing Act.
Hindley was part of the criminal investigations unit, dealing with child exploitation cases, until she took medical leave in 2021 due to PTSD and subsequently filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario against the police force in 2022.
She is facing two counts of professional misconduct – harassment and failing to follow procedures set by the chief of police – related to events that occurred between June 2023 and July 2025, as outlined in case documents.
According to these documents, Hindley is accused of sending written communications that criticized senior leadership and breaching a formal directive from February to July 2025.
The emails Hindley sent primarily focused on her mental health issues, experiences at work, and how her Human Rights Tribunal complaint was handled by the force. In one email, she claimed Deputy Chief Steve Bogart acted unprofessionally and contributed to her PTSD, as stated in the documents.
“The language was highly critical and personal in nature, describing Deputy Bogart’s actions as motivated by control, ego and a lack of compassion,” the documents say.
A cease-and-desist letter was issued to Hindley on April 10, 2025, instructing her to refrain from communicating with members of the police board – which oversees policing in St. Thomas – but she allegedly continued sending emails.
“The tone throughout was accusatory and highly critical of leadership, frequently challenging the integrity, professionalism and motives of senior members and the board,” according to these documents.
Const. Paul Tunks, president of the St. Thomas Police Association, wrote a letter addressed to board chair Dan Reith stating that Hindley’s correspondence occurred without any approval or knowledge from the union. Tunks characterized these emails as “completely unprofessional” and noted that such communication should go through proper union channels instead.
“While Cst. Hindley’s emails were part of her ongoing advocacy related to her (Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario) complaint, regulation does not allow for exceptions in those circumstances. Regardless of her intent… Hindley’s direct outreach to board members violated prescribed communication protocol,” state the documents.
Hindley is representing herself during this hearing since she said that the police association wouldn’t cover legal fees typically provided when an officer faces professional misconduct or criminal charges.
In her opening statement, Hindley admitted sending those emails but maintained they weren’t harassing or repetitive.
“They were not random. They were not excessive… they were directly related to my human rights complaint,” she stated.
The lawyer for St. Thomas police Ian Johnstone asserted that the case against Hindley lacks complexity or nuance.
“The facts are simple,” he mentioned in his opening remarks.
“You’re going to hear how only the chief of police should be communicating with the board.”
Taking into account Hindley’s mental health condition diagnoses, St. Thomas police are asking for a formal reprimand along with mandatory training on workplace harassment and involvement in another program.
The hearing continues Wednesday and is expected to span five days.
dcarruthers
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