After recruit's death, independent report lays out changes to Massachusetts State Police Academy
Col. Geoffrey Noble has released the findings of an independent report into conditions at the Massachusetts State Police Training Academy, more than a year after a recruit died after a boxing match at the New Braintree school.
The report was conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in the wake of the death of Trooper Enrique Delgado Garcia. Independent counsel, David Meier, appointed by the attorney general, found that Delgado Garcia suffered concussion-like symptoms on Sept.11, 2024, during "unauthorized, unapproved and unsupervised" sparring exercises. Four troopers face charges linked to Delgado Garcia's death.
"We will never waver and we will continue to enforce a safety-first culture," the Colonel told reporters during the report's release.
Massachusetts State Police Training Academy report
The IACP conducted their review using multiple on-site observations during the 91st Recruit Training Troop, and interviews with academy staff and leaders.
The review found the academy meets statutory requirements but struggles from systematic issues such as high turnover among leadership and staff, recruit attrition "significantly higher than at other police academies nationwide" and a culture of inducing stress on recruits with no clear educational objective or adequate recovery time from physical conditioning.
The report noted, "one trainee was observed vomiting from stress."
It also stated that the academy, "displayed resigned trainees' baseball caps in the Chow Hall [which] signaled pride in attrition."
The IACP found the academy lacks consistent data to track recruit injuries with over 70% of recruit resignations linked to "preventable physical or psychological causes." The academy also relies on a single fitness staff member.
The academy suffers from aging infrastructure as well, according to the IACP. The 800-acre property in rural New Braintree was originally built in 1965 as a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school and was acquired by the state in 1990. The state began to renovate it into a minimum-security prison but instead chose to relocate the MSP Training Academy to the site.
"Leadership indicated there is no formal capital replacement schedule, capital improvement plan, or multi-year modernization strategy," the report states. "As a result, infrastructure investments are largely reactive, triggered by system failures, safety concerns, or urgent operational needs."
Next State Police recruit class on hold
The report puts forward 103 recommendations to be implemented over a five-year period. While two recruit classes have gone through the academy since Delgado Garcia's death, Noble told reporters the next recruit class, slated to start in June, will be delayed until 31 priority recommendations are implemented. Those recommendations were established by a 10-member working group of sworn and professional staff.
The top recommendation is a permanent end to boxing and head-strike activities, already on pause since Delgado Garcia's passing. Other improvements are also already underway including the establishment of a civilian Academy Director of Training, the development of a balanced stress training curriculum, and enhanced instructor preparation. The academy will screen recruits for physical and psychological preparedness before they begin at the school, and there are efforts to strengthen systems for tracking injuries.
Noble told reporters that money will be needed for the academy's modernization. Already, the 10-person working group is traveling the country to seek out lessons from best-in-class police academies.
Noble acknowledged that change may take some time but called the IACP report, "a roadmap for the future."
"We will honor Trooper Enrique Delgado Garcia's life and service with the Massachusetts State Police through meaningful action," he said.
