NCJ Number
119192
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1989) Pages: 47-50
Date Published
1989
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The circumstances surrounding the death of a police recruit in Middlesex County (N.J.) in 1988 have resulted in major revisions in the way police recruits in the State receive physical training.
Abstract
Howard Kline, Jr. had passed a stress test and physical 2 weeks before he began training, but he collapsed during his first calisthenics period at the academy, went into a coma, and died 10 days later. The rate of injuries to other police recruits had also been a source of concern in recent years. Further investigation revealed that Kline had taken part in a high-level workout involving pushups and running in place for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The autopsy found symptoms indicative of heat stroke, which resulted from extraordinary physical activity coupled with a high environmental temperature and failure to replace body fluids lost through perspiration. Some recruits regarded certain parts of the physical training program as psychologically and physically abusive, although instructors and other recruits said that the stressful training used helps a recruit learn how to deal with the abuse encountered on the job. Further analysis led to the adoption of 13 recommendations, including the hiring of a full-time exercise physiologist to monitor physical training statewide and the revision of the physical training manual.