Combat training is a rite of passage for police recruits. It’s left a trail of deaths and injuries[html]
Heather Sterling poses for a portrait during a hike, Aug. 11, 2025, near Daniel, Wyo. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler)2025-12-20T15:02:43Z
Heather Sterling stepped into the ring at the Texas Game Warden Training Center, ready to face an ambush by instructors acting as violent assailants.
The four-on-one drill is a rite of passage for those training to be game wardens, sworn officers who enforce state conservation laws. Nationwide, data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/police-academy-recruits-deaths-investigation-sickle-cell-14362b1a86d648967645986cfb4529c8">thousands of local and state police recruits are allowed into the profession only after passing similar drills – simulated fights for their lives.
The barrage of force against Sterling came rapidly, video obtained by The Associated Press shows. A surprise push from behind threw her to the floor. A right-handed punch to the back of the head knocked her down. Within two minutes, she was struck at least seven times in the head, the last blow knocking off her wrestling helmet.
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In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is hit in the head by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas.
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In this still image from video obtained by The Associated Press, Heather Sterling is hit in the head by one of her instructors, who is acting as a violent assailant, during a four-on-one training drill, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton, Texas.
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“Protect yourself!” an instructor yelled.
Sterling completed the drill but suffered a concussion. A dozen of her classmates — a third in all — were injured that day as they were repeatedly punched, tackled on a gym floor and thrown against padded walls, records show.
While the drill was physically punishing, their experience was not unique. Since 2005, similar drills at law enforcement academies nationwide have been linked to at least a dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries, some resulting in disability, data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/redman-drills-police-academy-training-deaths-ed1f0ffd749857cc97002a79653c5e7c">an AP investigation has found.
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Editor’s note: This is the third installment of AP’s Dying to Serve series. Find the previous stories data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/police-academy-recruits-deaths-investigation-sickle-cell-14362b1a86d648967645986cfb4529c8">here and data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/officers-death-benefits-claims-backlog-psob-a4ca99b3e3ca6afc7baded3e94bf00ac">here.
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The drills — frequently referred to as RedMan training for the brand and color of protective gear worn by participants – are intended to teach law enforcement recruits how to defend themselves against combative suspects. They’re among the most challenging tests at police academies. Law enforcement experts say that when properly designed and supervised, they teach new officers critical skills for handling high-stress situations.
But critics say they can put recruits at risk of physical and mental abuse that runs some promising officers out of the profession. Academies have wide latitude in running such exercises, given a lack of national standards governing police training.
Sterling quit the academy after her drill. She’s now speaking out, hoping to spark change in training practices nationwide.
“I’m worried that someone is going to get killed,” said Sterling, who’d previously worked as a senior game warden and defensive tactics instructor data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/hub/wyoming">in Wyoming. “This is a poorly disguised assault.”
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This photo provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shows new graduates during the 67th Texas Game Warden and State Park Police Officer Commissioning Ceremony on May 30, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Sonja Sommerfeld/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via AP)
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This photo provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shows new graduates during the 67th Texas Game Warden and State Park Police Officer Commissioning Ceremony on May 30, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Sonja Sommerfeld/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via AP)
