March 20, 2002

Extreme Exertion May Have Sickened Half Of NYPD Training Class

Doctors told the NYPD Wednesday that extreme physical exertion may have caused a dozen officers to get sick during a training class at the Police Academy.

As of Wednesday night, six veteran officers from the special program were still in the hospital.

The course, which teaches kicking and punching techniques for self defense, has been suspended.

The class began last Wednesday and by Friday three officers had complained of muscle soreness and abnormally dark urine. Doctors tested the whole class and found high enzyme levels in the blood of 12 of the 28 officers.

"As a result of participating in this class, several officers had significantly elevated enzyme levels, which we first thought might have been the result of some sort of contamination,” said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. “But our medical people tell us, no, it's a result of physical exertion."

Kelly said the class had resumed this week after a hiatus due to September 11 manpower changes.

“We have suspended that training and we're investigating the situation as to who else was involved in the training previously,” Kelly said.

Kelly asked instructors from the academy to come down to 1 Police Plaza and demonstrate portions of the strenuous training moves so he could learn more about how these officers might have gotten hurt.

Instructors said the class is very physical, involving falling and twisting of arms to disarm people.

The PBA wants to know if officers were placed at risk unnecessarily.

For now, doctors have ruled out any nutritional problem among the officers or an air problem at the building as possible factors.

"The physical environment was looked at,” said NYPD surgeon Robert Thomas, “They were told there was nothing there that could have caused this."

Initially, 10 out of 28 cops in the class were hospitalized. Those still in the hospital are expected to recover with rest.

Kelly has ordered the 5,000 officers who have had this special training since 1997 to be checked to make sure they have no lingering health problems.

--Andrew Siff