State Labor Department Fines CMPD for Police Recruit Death
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Division has fined the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department following the death of police recruit Jeremy Moseley.
READ FULL REPORT: CMPD Citation and Notification of Penalty
In a report released Friday afternoon, OSHA cited CMPD for serious violations related to the department’s training academy. CMPD says it will fully cooperate with the Department of Labor and is also contesting portions of the assessment. The Medical Examiner determined Moseley’s pre-existing medical condition contributed to his death. Moseley had asthma and had been taking herbal dietary medications. Findings from the autopsy ruled the cause of death was hyperthermia.
CMPD says that they have reviewed and identified several changes to incorporate into the department’s recruit training. Those changes include in part:
· The CMPD Academy training staff will be provided OSHA “Using the Heat Index: A Guide for Employers. The guide will be reviewed by staff for a thorough understanding of employer responsibilities under hot and humid conditions.
· The CMPD will begin to use a planning checklist provided by OSHA to brief recruits on the relevance of safety and health issues.
· The academy staff will immediately begin to monitor the OSHA safety phone application relevant to temperature and heat index.
· The CMPD will immediately begin to follow guidelines in OSHA’s publication specific to acclimating recruits to warmer temperatures and humidity.
· Water bottles are issued to each recruit and a five gallon water cooler is made accessible during physical training.
· Academy staff will be re-trained on the recognition of signs and symptoms of heat related illnesses.
According to the release, approximately 1050 police officers have successfully completed and met the standards required to graduate the CMPD’s Training Academy since 2005.
Stay tuned for WCCB News @ Ten, Amy Cowman will have more on this story.
