Bend Don't Break

‘10-33’ - Officer Down: RCMP Sgt. Laurie White’s Story of Being Shot in the Leg and Her Return to The Front Line

This week Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Laurie White. Laurie graduated from the RCMP training academy, ‘depot’, in 1996 and was posted to Kitimat, B.C. Less than three years into her career she was shot in the leg while ...

The Unreasonable Ask: Supporting Police Officers Fighting the Emotional Toll of Their Jobs

This week, Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Steve Joordens, a Professor at the University of Toronto where he teaches psychology, and Sgt. Dave Haynes, a Police officer who has been working for the Toronto Police Services for 21 years. ...

(Part 2) Tragedy in Mayerthorpe Alberta: Supt. James Hardy’s Story of Investigating the Murder of 4 Mounties while Caring for his Team

This week, Chief Neil Dubord is joined again by James Hardy who has been in policing for more than 4 decades, he was with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police then over to the Calgary Police Service, and later developed a ...

Trauma and Stress, One 9-1-1 Call at a Time: Giselle Chiu’s Story of Answering the Call for Help

This week, Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Giselle Chiu, a Delta Police employee who experienced stress and trauma build throughout her 9-1-1 call-taking career. Giselle discusses her drive for a life of service, the toll answering 9-1-1 calls took ...

Saying Goodbye to Policing: A Career Lost to an On The Job Brain Injury

This month Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Constable Jenny LeQuesne from the Victoria Police Department (VicPD) who is sharing her incredible story. In this episode, Chief Dubord and Jenny speak about how being injured on the job led to ...

A Journey in Healing: Abbotsford Police Cpl. Aaron Courtney’s Story of Staying in the Fight

This week, Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Aaron Courtney, a 19-year veteran of the Abbotsford Police Department. In this episode, Chief Dubord speaks with Aaron about how his career and life were completely altered in 2019 after he was ...

Navigating an International Kidnapping and the Trauma of Losing Two Canadians: Three RCMP Negotiators Share Their Stories

This month on the Bend Don’t Break Podcast, Chief Neil Dubord is joined by not one, but three fantastic guests. S/Sgt. Mike Bloxham, Sergeant Dave Fouche, and Superintendent Dave Teboul are all experienced RCMP Crisis Negotiators here to talk about ...

Airdrie Firefighter Chris Bentley opens up about Coping with Indirect Trauma, Years After the Catastrophic Wildfire in Slave Lake Alberta.

In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Chris Bentley. Chris and Chief Neil Dubord discuss the topic of vicarious trauma. You don’t always have to be right on the front line to experience the ...

Vancouver Firefighter Lieutenant Jenn Dawkins on Surviving and Thriving Through a Cancer Diagnosis

Get ready for another fascinating, powerful, and insightful episode of The Bend Don’t Break podcast! This week, Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Vancouver Fire Lieutenant Jenn Dawkins. Jenn has some incredible experience both in and out of her role ...

Building Resilience Without Trauma: RCMP Sgt. Major Sebastien Lavoie’s Approach to Leading Through Critical Incidents

Welcome back to the Bend Don’t Break podcast! Chief Neil Dubord is welcoming RCMP Sergeant Major Sebastien Lavoie to this episode. Sgt. Major Lavoie’s career highlights include the Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program and the Lower Mainland District Emergency Response ...

Massacre in Sin City: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Joshua Bitsko’s Moment-by-Moment Account of the ‘Route-91’ Music Festival Shooting

Today is a special episode for the Bend Don’t Break podcast. Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Lt. Joshua Bitsko from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who recounts the day of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting at the Route ...

Reintegration: How Edmonton Police Service is Helping Police Officers After a Traumatic Event

In this episode, Chief Neil Dubord is excited to be joined by two guests who are both long-time Edmonton Police Service members, Colleen Mooney and Glen Klose. In this episode, Glen and Colleen discuss how Edmonton Police look after their ...

Shot in the Line of Duty: Metro Vancouver Transit Police Cst. Josh Harm’s Story of Recovery and Resiliency

Metro Vancouver Transit Police Constable (Cst.) Josh Harms joins the podcast to discuss his recovery after he was shot while on duty in early 2019. After going through this traumatic event, Cst. Harms returned to work, concentrating not on the ...

Surviving the Covid-19 Crisis: Advice on How to Stay Resilient

Frontline policing: The wear and tear of everyday calls for service

Edmonton Police Service 20 year veteran, Gary Benoit shares a common story that most first responders can relate to - the impact that day-to-day stress can play on one’s health and wellness. Gary shares lessons on facing these challenges head-on, ...

Undercover Cop Steps Out Of the Shadows in Fight Against Terminal Brain Cancer

Today’s story is an incredible one — but even more incredible is the resiliency today’s guest shows through his journey over the last several years. Ryan (Chopper) Masales started as a police officer in 2001 at the Vancouver Police Department. ...

Nearly Losing her Life over a Stolen Chocolate Bar: Victoria Police Department Detective Lane Douglas-Hunt’s Journey on Navigating PTSD

Today’s guest is Lane Douglas Hunt. Lane has been a member with the Victoria Police Department since 2008. She has spent most of her career on the front lines in patrol where she was on the Greater Victoria Emergency Response ...

Delta Police Constable Geoff Young’s Courageous Story: Overcoming Addiction and Fighting to save his Career.

Joining the Bend, Don’t Break Podcast today is Geoff Young. Geoff is 42 years old and has been with the Delta Police Department for 12 years. Prior to joining Delta Police, he served in the infantry in the Canadian Armed ...

Brush with Death: Delta Police Acting Sergeant John Jasmins’ Story

This week, John Jasmins joins Chief Neil Dubord to discuss the challenges he has been through throughout his career. John Jasmins started with the Delta Police Department as a Reserve Constable, and has been a regular member with the department ...

Coping with the Suicide of a Loved One and a Near-Fatal Accident

In this week’s episode, Retired Sergeant Chris Borgstede joins the podcast to speak with Chief Neil Dubord about the impactful experiences in his life — both personally and professionally. Chris has been a longtime member of the Delta Police Department, ...

Part 2 : The Starlight Casino Shooting and the Murder Charge that Followed

On this episode of Bend Don’t Break, your host, Chief Neil Dubord, is joined by Delta Police Officer, Constable Jordan MacWilliams once again, to continue his story from last week’s episode. Jordan has gone through significant events over the last ...

On the Brink of Losing Your Job, Your Health, and Your Father: Delta Police Constable Aaron Hill’s Lesson in Resiliency

Welcome to Bend Don’t Break — a Delta Police podcast on police officers using the power of storytelling to strengthen their resiliency — with your host, Chief Neil Dubord. In this episode, Chief Dubord is joined by Delta Police Officer, ...