It’s been a yr since Massachusetts State Police recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia died throughout a coaching train and the investigation into how that occurred continues with no updates.
“Every day since the passing of Trooper Delgado-Garcia, we have remembered and honored his courage and dedication to public service, not just as a respected member of the law enforcement community but as a beloved friend, family member, and colleague,” state Legal professional Basic Andrea Campbell mentioned in an announcement on the anniversary of his dying.
“We also recognize that this past year has brought many questions, and with them, the frustration and pain that can accompany a thorough and lengthy investigation,” her assertion continued. “I want to assure the public, especially Trooper Delgado-Garcia’s family, that we remain steadfast in our commitment to support the independent investigation, which we are confident will be both comprehensive and impartial.”
Delgado-Garcia died on Sept. 13, 2024, at 25 years previous following a boxing “training exercise” on the MSP’s New Braintree Academy the night earlier than. There have been rapid calls for an investigation into the dying, particularly after particulars obtained out in regards to the severity of his accidents.
The ACLU launched an announcement detailing the accidents it had discovered about: “damage to his brain, a broken neck, and missing teeth. It is hard to imagine how such injuries could have been inflicted in a closely supervised training environment.”
“It is critical that allegations of misconduct, discrimination, and abuse at police training facilities … be thoroughly, impartially, and rapidly investigated,” Jessie Rossman, ACLU of Massachusetts’ authorized director, mentioned.
The recruit was a victim-witness advocate on the Worcester District Legal professional’s workplace earlier than becoming a member of the MSP, in order that workplace recused itself from the investigation. Campbell quickly after appointed former prosecutor David Meier, a companion on the agency Todd & Weld LLP, as an impartial investigator.
Remembering Delgado-Garcia was a major theme of final yr’s MSP recruit commencement ceremony, which noticed his recruiting class turn out to be sworn in as troopers.
However the investigation has had few public updates, and Campbell’s assertion included no new particulars. What progress has been public has been from outdoors that investigation, like State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s workplace issuing a report that discovered the MSP’s coaching is insufficient.
5 months in, there have been nonetheless few solutions, prompting politicians from the Worcester County space to urge better transparency within the course of.
The present chief of the MSP, Col. Geoffrey Noble, was appointed to his position the identical month as Delgado-Garcia’s dying. In July his company unveiled a sweeping playbook of company reforms it calls the “Excellence Initiative.”
“It’s our job, my job, the team’s job, to create an environment where, when there are deficiencies — when there’s a culture that’s not meeting our standards — that it is rejected by the rest of the department who are meeting the standards,” Noble instructed the Herald throughout a one-on-one interview in August.
