When officers feel blindsided by decisions, shut out of communication or left without closure, the damage runs deeper than frustration — it can feel like betrayal. Not from the public or the press, but from within their own agency.
During a powerful session at this year’s IACP conference, police psychologist Dr. Robert Cipriano, who oversees the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Psychological Services Program (PSP), broke down how these invisible injuries form — and how chiefs can lead the repair.
After more than two decades serving correctional and law enforcement agencies, Cipriano has seen the pattern repeat: small communication gaps and inconsistent leadership decisions accumulate until officers feel dismissed, unheard or devalued.
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The concept of institutional betrayal trauma originates from the research of Dr. Jennifer Freyd, a University of Oregon psychologist who first coined the term in the 1990s to describe how trusted institutions can cause harm through neglect, denial or failure to protect their members. Dr. Robert Cipriano credits Freyd’s work as the foundation for applying these insights to public safety, where officers depend on their agencies for support, fairness and psychological safety. By bringing Freyd’s theory into the policing context, Cipriano highlights how organizational transparency, accountability and empathy can directly improve officer wellness and retention.
As Cipriano explained, invisible injuries — caused by miscommunication, unclear rationale behind employer-employee decisions and the absence of closure — can inflict deep emotional pain and turmoil on today’s public safety professionals. These “invisible injuries” reflect what Freyd described in her Betrayal Trauma Theory: the idea that when people depend on an institution for safety and stability, violations of trust can create lasting psychological harm.
“This isn’t a complaint session,” he told attendees. “I want you to walk away with productive tools — lead from the ground up and lead from the top end.”
When the wound comes from inside
Institutional betrayal happens when a trusted organization — the very one charged with an officer’s safety, development and fairness — causes psychological harm through action or inaction. Sometimes it’s obvious: mishandled discipline, unaddressed harassment, or a broken promise. More often, it’s subtle: a promotion process that lacks transparency, a failure to follow up after trauma exposure, or leadership decisions explained to everyone except those most affected.
These moments can plant what Cipriano calls “seeds of mistrust.” Left unchecked, they grow into resentment, disengagement and withdrawal. Officers start to see the department not as a protector but as another source of stress.
One of Cipriano’s most striking examples came from a veteran sergeant who retired after 33 years. On her final radio transmission, she didn’t celebrate her career — she grieved what had been lost, saying morale had been destroyed. “She waited until her last day to say what had been building for years,” Cipriano noted. “The pain under that is real.”
Building courage and closing the loop
The antidote, Cipriano said, is “institutional courage.” It starts with leaders willing to own mistakes, seek context before judging and ensure every officer knows the why behind a decision. Chiefs should challenge groupthink and insist supervisors “go to the source” before acting on partial information.
That means slowing down the speed of decisions long enough to make space for empathy. “Technology’s evolved, patience has dwindled,” Cipriano told the room. “The speed of task completion can override basic empathy. We can’t lose sight of the person doing the work.”
He also urged agencies to rethink the “body for body” mindset in staffing. When a veteran leaves, you don’t just lose a position — you lose decades of institutional memory. “That’s not a swap,” he said. “That’s knowledge you can never buy back.”
Peer support as a bridge, not a bandage
At Fort Lauderdale PD, Cipriano built a peer support network of 36 trained personnel who serve as a bridge between officers and the department’s psychological services team, offering confidential judgment-free listening and connection to help.
The key is structure: clear boundaries, ongoing training and active collaboration with clinicians and chaplains. “If someone goes to peer support three times for the same issue, that’s an automatic handoff to us,” he said. The system keeps support accessible while ensuring deeper issues get professional attention.
Healing through perspective
For individual officers, Cipriano uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to help them recognize and redirect toxic thought patterns. “Thoughts become words, words become actions,” he said. By focusing on what can be controlled — routines, relationships, self-talk — officers can rebuild agency over their own well-being.
One example: an officer passed over for promotion admitted he’d stopped attending family events, consumed by anger. Cipriano helped him shift focus from the decision he couldn’t change to the relationships he could restore. “Meet them where they’re at,” he said, “then help them focus on what they can control.”
Healing through movement
To show how recovery can take unexpected forms, Dr. Cipriano shared this video of former police officer Ed Pila, who found purpose and connection through Argentine tango after experiencing trauma and depression. It’s a reminder that healing often begins not with words, but with reconnection — to others, and to yourself.
What officers can do when the hurt runs deep
Institutional betrayal may start with the system, but healing starts with the self. Cipriano outlined several steps officers can take to regain balance and avoid letting bitterness take root:
- Acknowledge the injury. Name what happened and how it made you feel. Suppressing resentment only deepens it.
- Find safe connection. Talk with a trusted peer support member, clinician or chaplain — someone who listens without judgment and keeps it confidential.
- Control the controllables. Focus energy on actions within your reach — improving fitness, reconnecting with family, or mentoring a younger officer.
- Watch for blind spots. Ask yourself if the story you’re telling about the incident is the full picture or just the painful part.
- Rebuild identity beyond the badge. Invest in interests, relationships and purpose outside work so your sense of worth doesn’t rise and fall with department politics.
- Seek closure, not revenge. Healthy closure might mean a conversation, a transfer, or counseling — not retaliation.
“These invisible wounds can follow us for decades,” Cipriano said. “The goal isn’t to forget them, but to stop them from defining who we become.”
Practical steps for police chiefs
But officers shouldn’t have to shoulder this alone. Healing the organization is a leadership job — and that begins with how chiefs communicate, make decisions and follow through.
- Name the issue. Define betrayal trauma openly in leadership briefings. Acknowledge that officers can feel harmed by organizational behavior even without malicious intent.
- Explain the why. Every major personnel or disciplinary decision should come with a clear rationale communicated directly to those affected.
- Go to the source. Require supervisors to verify facts and hear from the employee before escalating an issue.
- Protect exposure. Set time limits for high-trauma units like ICAC or homicide and rotate proactively.
- Capture knowledge. Before any veteran retires, record their practices or bring them back as mentors.
Small acts of transparency and empathy add up. Every time a leader explains the why, listens with intent or circles back to provide closure, it chips away at betrayal and rebuilds trust from the inside out.
Tactical takeaway
To repair trust, chiefs should start small but act consistently: debrief major decisions with affected staff, follow up one-on-one after internal conflicts, make peer support part of supervisory training and rotate people out of high-stress assignments before burnout sets in.
What do you think causes the most betrayal inside an agency? Share below.
About the speaker
Dr. Robert J. Cipriano Jr. has served the South Florida community as a licensed psychologist for the past 23 years. He holds licenses in Florida, California and North Carolina and is board certified in Police and Public Safety Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Throughout most of his career, Dr. Cipriano has practiced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and, over the past five years, has incorporated EMDR therapy for clients experiencing trauma-related symptoms. He is PSYPACT certified to provide HIPAA-compliant telehealth services from Florida to 40 states. Dr. Cipriano currently serves as the psychological supervisor for the Psychological Services Program (PSP) at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD) and is co-developing FLPD’s Co-Respondwellnesser Program (CORE).
