Police recruit training deaths prompt calls for reform and better safety measures

• An investigation by The Associated Press shows that since 2015, at least 29 recruits have died during basic training at law enforcement academies across the United States. Most of the deaths are related to exertion, dehydration and heatstroke, often occurring on the first day of training.
• Some recruits passed away several weeks into training, sometimes after experiencing trauma from boxing or use-of-force drills. Others collapsed during timed runs on hot days.
• Experts say nationwide training and safety standards are needed.

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Since 2015, at least 29 recruits have died during basic training at law enforcement academies across the United States, according to an investigation by The Associated Press. The research found that most of the deaths are related to exertion, dehydration and heatstroke, often occurring on the first day of training.

The investigation shows that others passed away several weeks into training, sometimes after experiencing trauma from boxing or use-of-force drills. Some collapsed during timed runs on hot days.

In one case, 38-year-old Vincent Parks was just minutes into his first day at an Arkansas academy when he began to show signs of trouble. Sources told the AP that the July 2022 schedule was set for classroom instruction but moved outside. Weather reports show central Arkansas was under a heat advisory that day.

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David Jude, a retired police academy instructor and expert witness in Parks’ death, said, “You can see him struggling physically. You can see veins popping out on his head. You can see the expression on his face. You can see that he’s lagging behind the others.”

Despite struggling, Parks pushed on. Nearby officers watched and recorded him on their cellphones. The academy continued the day’s drills even after Parks was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

Calls for training standards

Following Parks’ death, the state of Arkansas passed a law mandating trainers be educated on risks like heat exhaustion. Experts say nationwide training and safety standards are needed.

Spencer Fomby, a police trainer, said, “I think the challenge we have in policing is there’s just a lack of true national standards.”

David Jude added, “We need to train our instructors for things to look for and when to intervene and what those issues look like so that another death in training doesn’t happen.”

Did genetics play a role?

Reports say that Black recruits make up 60% of those who died. According to the Department of Justice statistics, Black officers make up 12% of local police forces.

In Parks’ case, the medical examiner’s report ruled his death was an accident caused by a “sickle cell trait-related” crisis. The AP’s investigation found in the autopsy reports that sickle cell was cited as a contributing factor.

According to the American Society of Hematology, sickle cell affects up to 3 million Black Americans. The NCAA and the U.S. military screen for the condition. Researchers say exertion deaths dropped significantly following the mandated testing. According to the AP, most police departments have no screening programs.

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Family members originally denied benefits

Since most of the recruits in AP’s investigation had not been sworn in as officers before their deaths, their names are absent from the national memorial for deceased officers and some state memorials. Many of their families are also ineligible for death benefits. That all changed in 2021 when Congress enacted a law that grants trainees’ relatives eligibility for the same federal death benefits as those of sworn officers.