A Mesa police officer nearing retirement has filed a civil lawsuit alleging he was “groomed and manipulated” by a counselor who treated him for post-traumatic stress disorder. The complaint, filed in June, says the officer began seeking professional help in 2024 and was referred to the counselor by current and former members of the police department.
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The lawsuit identifies the counselor as Jennifer Cooper and states she had an agreement with the City of Mesa to provide services. Court filings say Cooper evaluated and ultimately diagnosed the officer with PTSD as part of that treatment arrangement. The complaint alleges that, while serving as the officer’s psychotherapist, Cooper initiated an intimate relationship and used her position to seduce and groom him.
Mesa Police vehicle shown to illustrate a report on a Mesa officer's lawsuit alleging grooming and misconduct by a counselor during PTSD treatment.
Public records and state licensing documents show a separate complaint against Cooper was filed by a supervisor in June 2025. One month later, in July 2025, the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners considered the matter and accepted a consent agreement in which Cooper agreed to voluntarily surrender her professional license. The agreement required Cooper to cease providing services to clients within 30 days and contained the explicit admission that “Respondent engaged in a sexual relationship with Client who was Respondent’s current psychotherapy client.”
The board’s meeting audio, which has been reviewed by reporters, indicates Cooper did not appear at the hearing. During discussion among board members and staff, the identity of the client named in the complaint was disclosed as a Mesa police officer. The administrative action and the consent agreement are separate from the civil lawsuits now pending in court.
The civil complaint filed in June is one of two lawsuits that have been brought on behalf of the officer and his wife. Court filings state the intimate relationship between the counselor and the officer ended in August 2025, and that the subsequent internal investigation within the department harmed the officer’s reputation. The lawsuit asserts the investigation and its handling caused damage to the officer beyond the alleged misconduct by the counselor.
Attempts were made to contact Cooper by calling the telephone number listed with her previous professional license and a number associated with what appears to be a current business listing. The City of Mesa declined to comment and did not answer questions about Cooper or the allegations raised in the lawsuit. The couple’s attorney spoke by telephone and described the lawsuit as grounded in ethical obligations related to the counselor’s conduct.
A review of business and state licensing records shows Cooper provided services to first responders across the Phoenix metropolitan area and had engagements with individuals outside Arizona. The civil complaint seeks remedies through the courts; specific claims and damages sought are outlined in the filings but remain subject to limitation and response by the defendants as the case proceeds.
The complaint and the board’s consent agreement outline separate administrative and legal tracks: one a professional disciplinary resolution that resulted in surrender of a license, and the other a civil action alleging harm and seeking relief for the officer and his spouse. Both the administrative record and the civil filings identify the same underlying conduct — a sexual relationship between a treating clinician and a current psychotherapy client who was identified as a Mesa police officer.
The legal process in the civil matter will determine whether the allegations of grooming, seduction and manipulation rise to liability under applicable law and whether the City of Mesa bears responsibility for any part of the conduct through its agreement with the counselor. For now, the counselor no longer holds an active license to practice in the state, and the lawsuits remain pending in civil court as the parties proceed through the discovery and litigation phases.
Prior to the June civil lawsuit, the officer and his wife filed a $4 million claim against the City of Mesa and Cooper over the affair during PTSD treatment and the department's internal investigation that followed. This earlier claim was reported by the Mesa Tribune and shared on X by law enforcement advocate @LaboscoSonya.