Recruits hoping to work in law enforcement are dying during training.
Nearly 30 recruits died across the country in the past decade, according to an Associated Press investigation.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden looked into whether enough is being done to keep recruits safe.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“We took a little family photo,” Shanna Dupree said.
It’s been nearly three years since she lost her husband and father of three, Patrick Dupree.
He was a former semi-pro football player and spent seven years as a police officer before pursuing his dream of becoming a Georgia State Patrol trooper.
“He wanted to be a GSP, GSP and then eventually go to aviation where you fly helicopters,” Shanna Dupree said.
But on a hot September day in 2022, she received a lifechanging phone call. Investigators said Patrick Dupree had almost completed GSP’s shotgun stress course before he collapsed and never recovered.
A video posted on the Department of Public Safety’s YouTube page shows just how physically demanding it is.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow, because we will never see him again,” his widow said.
According to the autopsy report, his cause of death was “sudden cardiac death in the setting of sickle cell trait.”
During strenuous exercise, people with the trait can be prone to dehydration or have trouble breathing. The autopsy confirmed he was dehydrated.
Shanna Dupree said they found out he had sickle cell trait when their son was born.
“The pediatrician came in and she was like, ‘Which one of y’all has sickle cell trait?’” she said.
Georgia State Patrol declined Channel 2 Action News’ request for an on-camera interview but said we could submit written questions.
The only response we received was a copy of the incident report on Patrick’s death.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.
In 2013, George Ward, a DeKalb County Sheriff’s recruit died during training to become a jailer.
A Channel 2 Action News investigation in 2014 uncovered video of leaders forcing Ward to wear pink and calling him names instead of calling for help when he could not walk on his own.
The footage prompted DeKalb Medical Examiners to change his manner of death from natural to undetermined.
Earlier this year, the Associated Press reported that at least 29 recruits across the country have died during basic training at training academies since 2015.
The Associated Press’ investigation attributed the deaths to a series of factors including exertion, dehydration, and heatstroke tied to intense exercise.
At least six of the deaths including involved sickle cell trait.
“They can go into crisis. They can die,” said Tabatha McGee, the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia’s Executive Director.
That is why the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia stresses the need to get tested for sickle cell and take precautions.
“So, we need them to be hydrated. We need them to make sure that their oxygen levels are very high, and then they don’t want to stay outside in that extreme heat for long periods of time,” McGee said.
Channel 2 Action News took a trip to the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth.
That is where Patrick Dupree lost his life during Georgia State Patrol’s separately run training.
Kevin Angell with GPSTC said the training program can be intense, which is why staff prepare for emergency situations.
“All of our instructors have first-aid and CPR training. The cadets are all encouraged to bring water with them. When we do that training, and it’s kept to an amount of time, we don’t do it until we feel that they’re exhausted,” Angell said.
After losing her husband, Shanna Dupree urges everyone to be aware of their personal and family medical history.
“Because it can save so many lives,” she said.
According to the incident report, there were EMTs present who evaluated him when Patrick Dupree collapsed. But there was not an ambulance there, so they had to call one.
GSP did not answer if it had made any changes after his death. Channel 2 Action News filed an open records request for the GBI’s investigation into his death and will report on what it reveals once we get it.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
