Behind Blue Doors

Exposing malfeasance in Canadian law enforcement agencies.

A conversation about the veneer we call law enforcement.

American Sociologist and Author, Alex S. Vitale, discusses what it means and looks like to abolish 'violence workers' (police) and why it's imperative.

Current serving female police officer discusses her experience of sexism and misogyny within two different police departments and the army.

In this episode, Whistleblower Rubin Coward discusses his battle of racism within the Canadian Military. A fighter and warrior for not only himself but others.

A female officer who reports misconduct, by her fellow colleagues, ends up getting 19 Police Service Act charges against her, all of which were unsubstantiated and dismissed. Listen, as she shares how she faced reprisal in response to reporting misconduct and the tool it took on her mental health.

This roundtable discusses the recent investigation of veteran Florida police officer, Sgt. Christopher Pullease, who choked his 28-year-old female (officer) colleague after she attempted to pull him away from a handcuffed suspect. Officers are being called to intervene when witnessing excessive use of force by colleagues, and this roundtable discusses the potential dangers for sisters in blue who do not fall-in-line with the status quo.    To read more about the incident: Florida cop grabs female officer by the throat after she pulled him off suspect (nypost.com) 

Behind Blue Doors is back from our holidays!  Dr. Frederic Whitehurst is a former FBI scientist who was the first successful FBI agent to “blow the whistle” on misconduct within the FBI crime lab, resulting in extensive reforms being made. He exposed forensic fraud in the FBI crime lab, winning a landmark court victory in 1997, and was responsible for a historic Presidential Executive Order ensuring whistleblower protection rights for FBI Agents who expose misconduct. Dr. Whitehurst established the Forensic Justice Project at the National Whistleblowers Center and initiated Freedom of Information Act requests that led to a NWC/Washington Post investigation of the FBI Crime Lab that forced the FBI to review 20,000 hair analysis cases. The investigation to date has resulted in several exonerations, reversals of convictions, and one stayed execution. https://www.whistleblowers.org/team/dr-frederic-whitehurst/

Monica Beasley thought she landed her dream job when she became a police officer for the Nashville police department. As an African American female, she expected some challenges along the way, but never did she ever expect to be physically attacked and raped at the hands of another officer. Sadly, her trauma did not end there as she eventually learned what happens to those who speak out against corruption.  https://abcnews.go.com/US/nashville-police-officer-sues-department-allegedly-retaliating-reporting/story?id=59298718

Get a sneak peek of episode 8 before it airs. 

In this episode we hear from the Honourable Michel Bastarache as he talks about his findings after the class action lawsuit against the RCMP as over 3000 victims came forward to share their stories of sexual harassment, discrimination, and harassment. Listen to his insights as he discusses his recommendations for the government to implement, and as our hosts ask tough questions. Is it truly that services don't want to admit there is a problem or are supervisors willfully ignoring it as they are guilty too? 

Get a sneak peak of episodes in this 2 minute bonus trailer, as we go behind blue doors. 

Listen as "Jane" retells her story of being bullied, humiliated, and targeted by the training members in her police academy. It gets worse... as she tries to bring attention to systemic racism, excessive use of force, and the broader issues within society, she is slapped with a cease and desist order by her service and her livelihood is threatened. Listen as she retells her story of "the boys club." 

In this episode titled “A Failure of Leadership,” retired Calgary Police Chief Roger Chaffin allows himself to be uncomfortable with Sgt Lee and Cst Moe as he openly talks about systemic issues within policing, including sexism, harassment, and bullying in the workforce and why police culture is so hard to change.

Listen to Part 2 of Robert "Bobby" Ledogar's story of retaliation, ally-ship, and unlawful dismissal.  **DONATE** PLIGHT OF DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL ROBERT LEDOGAR’S UNLAWFUL TERMINATION-WHISTEBLOWER ACTIVITIES – National Police Defense Foundation (npdf1.org)

This is the story of Robert Ledogar, known to friends and family as "Bobby" or "Led," whose successful twenty-five-year career as a Deputy Marshal with the Unites States Marshals Service (USMS) was destroyed in retaliation for standing up for and defending a gay female Deputy U.S. Marshal and fellow veteran who was being targeted with physical assault, sexual harassment, and other unlawful discriminatory conduct by other officers in the workplace.  ** DONATE ** PLIGHT OF DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL ROBERT LEDOGAR’S UNLAWFUL TERMINATION-WHISTEBLOWER ACTIVITIES – National Police Defense Foundation (npdf1.org) Read more of Robert's story https://whistleblowersblog.org/government-whistleblowers/ive-lost-everything-updates-from-robert-ledogar-u-s-marshals-service-whistleblower/  https://npdf1.org/plight-of-deputy-u-s-marshall-robert-ledogars-unlawful-termination-whisteblower-activities/     

In this episode, we give listeners the chance to hear from veteran officers from all over the world as they discuss the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard. Sgt. Lee, Cst. Maureen (Moe), Cst. Karen, and former Cst. Susan discuss the issues with accountability in the police force and how police officers with previous criminal charges, convictions, and complaints continue to climb the ranks. Police officers are held to a higher standard for a reason. Why is it that they are often excused when committing inexcusable acts? 

Listen to Sgt. Lee continue to tell her story as she shares the experiences she has faced after being an officer for over 20 years. Lee continues to share the struggles she has endured, how she has learned to overcome them and how she continues to heal. Listen to the last and final episode of Career Suicide. 

Welcome to Behind Blue Doors, the unfiltered, true accounts of police women from around the world. Sgt. Lee has been an officer for over 20  years. Out with her colleagues one evening, Sgt. Lee was expecting a fun, professional night where she could enjoy the company of her  friends, coworkers, and confidentes, but what she experienced left her  feeling scared, defiled and alone. That incident was only the beginning of the hell she would endure at the hands of her police service. Listen as Sgt. Lee retells her story. **We apologize for the reduced  quality of the audio in this recording - we had a few last-minute technical difficulties, but wanted to release it on Sept 29 as promised!  We will upload this episode again with improved sound quality very soon! You want to read more, check out these stories...  Veteran Peel detective decries workplace suspension as reprisal | Toronto Sun  SIU director charges high-ranking Peel Regional Police officer with sexual assault | The Star Female officers accuse senior Peel cop of sexual harassment, claim service ignored ‘poisoned,’ sexist work culture (bramptonguardian.com)  EXCLUSIVE: Peel police inspector accused of sexual assault identified (citynews.ca)  Pink Blood: Homophobic Violence in Canada: Douglas Victor Janoff: 9780802085702: Books - Amazon.ca  pp. 175    

In this prelude learn more about why Susan and Lisa decided to start a podcast on crucial issues within policing culture. Listen and they expand on how they met, how they started "Behind Blue Doors," and the research that really led to the creation of this podcast.  References:  https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/cllctn-nlss-dt-frc/index-en.aspx  View of Police De-Escalation Training & Education: Nationally, Provincially, and Municipally (journalcswb.ca)  Opinion: Politicians and police organizations aren’t giving officers the training they actually need to succeed - The Globe and Mail https://d88b193e-5bac-45fd-8907-4d3069379132.filesusr.com/ugd/b088b1_63a4ce0154eb4ceb9820779e99c19759.pdf