Massachusetts State Police have suspended full-contact boxing training activities at its academy, a move that comes more than a week after a trooper sustained fatal injuries during a training exercise in the boxing ring.
State Police announced the suspension in a statement Sunday night and said it attended to conduct a comprehensive review of the Academy’s defensive tactics program. That review, which remains ongoing, will “ensure that the program delivers relevant skills safely and effectively to those preparing to become Troopers.”
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The review is addressing “safety protocols, training methods and curriculum, alignment with law enforcement objectives, medical and health considerations, alternative approaches, and soliciting feedback from recruits and instructors and information from peer organizations and subject matter experts,” according to the statement.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia, of Worcester, became unresponsive during a defense tactics training exercise earlier this month. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
Prior to his death, Delgado-Garcia was sworn in as a State Police trooper in front of classmates at the academy, members of the department and his family.
The exact circumstances of Delgado-Garcia’s death remain unclear. His family told NBC Boston that he sustained a broken neck, missing teeth and severe brain damage.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early’s office has jurisdiction to investigate the death, but Early told reporters last week his office would not do so because Delgado-Garcia worked as a victim witness advocate there.
Early has not said which agency will oversee the investigation.
State Police on Sunday urged Early’s office to name an independent investigator “as soon as possible.” Troopers assigned to Early’s office have been investigating Delgado-Garcia’s death since the day he was injured, according to the statement.
Early said those troopers would continue their work, but would not be overseen by his office on this matter.
In the statement, State Police said Delgado-Garcia’s “tragic death” has “forever changed the lives of his family, friends, and colleagues who have been profoundly impacted by his loss.”
“The Department continues to extend its deepest sympathy and support to his grieving loved ones and our devastated department members as the investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding his death continues,” the statement reads.
The State Police employee assistance unit and its peer support resources will “maintain a physical presence” for the remainder of the recruit troop’s training.
State Police described the academy as a “rigorous curriculum program to prepare trainees for the challenging and often dangerous profession of a Massachusetts State Trooper.”
The academy’s culture has come under fire in the wake of Delgado-Garcia’s death. In a physical fitness preparation guide for the academy’s current class, several former trainees offered harsh insights into their experience.
“A lot stricter and tougher than I thought,” one person said during an exit interview.
“I’ve never been this stressed out in my life,” added another.
State Police said trainees at the academy “undergo wide-ranging education that emphasizes discipline, teamwork, and respect for one another in accordance with the law and the Department’s values.”
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