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Massachusetts State Police overhaul recruit training after academy death
State police say they have adopted 22 priority changes to academy training and are working on nine more before the next recruit class begins Oct. 26. The reforms follow the 2024 death of trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia during a boxing exercise.
The Massachusetts State Police say they have implemented 22 priority reforms to recruit training at the academy in New Braintree, with another nine changes underway, ahead of the 93rd Recruit Training Troop’s planned start on Oct. 26.
The changes follow an independent assessment that identified 103 recommendations. Gov. Maura Healey ordered the review after trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, was knocked unconscious during a boxing exercise in September 2024 and died at a hospital the next day. Boxing has since been permanently removed from academy training, and four state police members are facing criminal charges in connection with his death.
The implemented measures include ending the use of the title “drill instructor,” setting new standards for graduation and adding instruction in use-of-force, electronic control weapons and de-escalation. Recruits must score 100% on written exams covering the relevant policies and procedures and the proper use of approved defensive tactics.
The department also says it has expanded medical oversight and injury-prevention work with UMass Memorial Medical Group. A physician assistant affiliated with UMass Memorial and a professor at Assumption University will provide concussion-awareness training to instructors and recruits. The academy has added scheduled time for rest, meals and personal care, as well as opportunities for recruits to contact family and loved ones.
The assessment was conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The department has hired PFM Group Consulting LLC as an independent evaluator to monitor progress and provide oversight during a five-year reform process.
State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said the academy must prepare recruits to meet the demands of modern policing, and described the work as a sustained effort to raise standards and reconsider longstanding practices. The department has also appointed Andrea Nardone as director of training, Capt. Michael Blanchette as commandant and Dean Aresco as director of physical training.
Noble previously delayed the next recruit class to allow more time to implement key recommendations. The reforms are intended to change how recruits are trained and assessed, while strengthening health and safety protections at an academy whose practices are now under heightened scrutiny.