A violent training drill at a Texas law enforcement academy last year, which left over a dozen recruits injured, has highlighted a dangerous and controversial tradition in police training across the United States.
On 13 December 2024, cadets at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton were subjected to a brutal four-on-one role-playing exercise. By the day's end, at least 13 reported injuries including concussions, a torn knee, a broken wrist, and a bloody nose. Two required surgery, one resigned in protest, and another quit beforehand.
A Trail of Tragedy Across the Nation
An Associated Press review found that since 2005, similar defensive tactics drills have been linked to at least a dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries, some causing permanent disability. These exercises, often called 'RedMan' training after the protective gear, are designed to teach recruits to handle combative suspects under extreme stress.
However, a string of recent fatalities has cast a harsh light on their safety. In August 2025, 30-year-old Jon-Marques Psalms died two days after a training fight at the San Francisco Police Department Academy. In November 2024, 24-year-old Kentucky game warden recruit William Bailey died after a pool-based fight with an instructor. A year earlier, a Denver police recruit had both legs amputated following a training fight his attorney labelled a "barbaric hazing ritual."
No National Standards and Wide Discretion
A critical issue underpinning these incidents is the lack of uniform national standards governing police training. Academies have wide latitude to design these high-risk exercises, which vary widely and are known by names like "Fight Day" or "stress reaction training."
While recruits and instructors wear protective gear, there are no mandatory safety guidelines, including requirements for on-site medical personnel. The AP found the drills take many forms: some recruits face multiple assailants at once, others fight a series of instructors, and some academies intentionally use larger, more skilled opponents.
A Recruit's Protest and Call for Change
Among those injured in the Texas drill was Heather Sterling, a former defensive tactics instructor from Wyoming. Sterling, who was diagnosed with a concussion after being punched seven times in the head and thrown to the ground, passed the drill but resigned in protest.
She criticised the exercise as unrealistic and dangerous. "I'm worried that someone is going to get killed," Sterling said. "This is a poorly disguised assault." She is now speaking out to push for reforms in Texas and beyond.
Despite the injuries, a state investigation into the Texas incident found nothing wrong with the drill, underscoring the deep divide between supporters who see it as essential preparation and critics who view it as unacceptable risk. The debate continues as the toll from these intense training rituals grows.
