Police officer and city differ on PTSD diagnosis

The Boston Globe featured John Violanti in an article about how the City of Pawtucket is fighting with a police officer over his PTSD diagnosis. It’s very difficult to get a retirement based on a mental injury such as post-traumatic stress disorder, Violanti said. “There’s a fear among administrators that this is going to explode, that there’s going to be a lot of police officers filing for PTSD.” But the tides may be starting to turn, Violanti said. “It costs a lot to replace a police officer,” he said. “We’re paying more attention to the mental wellbeing of police officers, providing more training and peer support.”