Cop says she nearly lost her job over depression. Now NC police department owes $110K
A police officer was forced to pass a “mental fitness” exam to keep her job after the department learned about her struggle with mental health, a legal advocacy group says.
Now it’s paying her more than $100,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit.
In an agreement announced this week, the police department consented to pay the officer $110,000 in exchange for keeping its name and the identity of the officer anonymous, Disability Rights North Carolina said in a news release Thursday. The officer was identified instead by the pseudonym Angela Davies.
“Stigma about mental health is very real, at least in certain law enforcement agencies,” Davies said. “I had a sergeant tell me not to mention mental health around here.”
According to Disability Rights N.C., Davies was a U.S. veteran and worked for the police department for 15 years. But when her supervisors found out she received benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs for mental health, they reportedly put her on administrative leave.
Davies was then required to pass a “mental fitness” exam before she could return to work, the release states.
She sued the police department for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on a person’s physical or mental disability — including mental illness. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the department has agreed to review its internal policies for compliance with the ADA.
Davies told Disability Rights N.C. that muzzling mental health in the workplace could prevent people from seeking treatment for fear of retaliation.
“I should be able to stand up and say, ‘I’ve experienced depression and know what it’s like. Let me help you — here are some resources for you,’ and not hide it like an ostrich with their head in the sand,” she said. “If you really value your employees as assets, then as employers you should want to help.”
Chris Hodgson, an attorney with Disability Rights N.C. who represented the officer, said her case is indicative of a larger “cultural issue with law enforcement.”
“These types of cases are not accidental,” he said in the release. “There is a need for law enforcement administration to stop treating disability as a weakness and an automatic threat to public safety.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Cop says she nearly lost her job over depression. Now NC police department owes $110K."
