Investigation Underway After 20 Trainees Injured During Hot Pavement Bear Crawl

After about 20 trainees were treated for injuries after being forced to do "bear crawls" across hot pavement at the Massachusetts State Police Academy, an investigation has ensued, according to local outlet WCVB.

Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio and Col. Christopher Mason told local outlet WWLP he became aware of two instances during which trainees were required to do bear crawls, saying that those resulted in blisters to some of their hands. 

According to WCVB, officials said the bear crawls were not authorized as part of the training curriculum.

"The exercise resulted in blisters to some trainee’s hands, which were treated by the Academy Medical Unit. The Colonel immediately initiated an investigation of the unauthorized training and further increased oversight of training operations," Procopio said in a statement. 

According to the outlet, the department removed the two academy drill instructors who supervised the exercises and returned them to their regular assignments elsewhere in the department.

Additionally, the academy commandant and executive officer responsible for oversight of the academy’s day-to-day operations were also removed.

Governor Chris Baker told the outlet, "This story, as it plays out, as I understand it, is clearly not consistent with the way the colonel organized and has operated the training academy since he became colonel, so, I’m glad it's under investigation, and I have full faith that he will do the right thing with regards to what should happen here.”

Related Stories