Troopers reassigned amid investigation into training incidents at Mass. State Police Academy

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Four troopers have been reassigned amid an investigation into training incidents at the Massachusetts State Police Academy that left some trainees with blistered hands, officials said.

On at least two prior occasions, academy trainees were required to perform bear crawls, a physical exercise that is not authorized as part of the training curriculum, according to State Police Colonel Christopher Mason.

In a statement, a state police spokesperson said the exercises “added no value to the training, and contradicted the expectations that MSP command staff explicitly conveyed to academy staff prior to the start of the current recruit training troop.”

The trainees who suffered blisters on their hands were said to be treated by medical staff at the academy.

In response to the incident, Mason removed two drill instructors who supervised the bear crawls and returned them to their regular assignments elsewhere in the department, the spokesperson said. The academy commandant and executive officer responsible for oversight of the academy’s day-to-day operations were also removed and replaced.

Mason has since opened an internal affairs investigation to identify and hold accountable any academy staff found responsible for the unauthorized training.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The union that represents state troopers released a statement Thursday afternoon.

“The training at the Massachusetts State Police Academy is rigorous, challenging, and arguably the most elite in the Nation,” according to the State Police Association of Massachusetts. “Our members on the academy staff do an outstanding job preparing our trainees to be Troopers. Concerning the allegations, an internal investigation is being conducted by the Department to determine if any policies and procedures were violated.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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