SANIBEL, Fla. — It's something law enforcement officers depend on: their training. But what kind of training are they actually getting? Four in Your Corner is looking into law enforcement trainings after two Southwest Florida officers recently lost their lives while on duty.
First it was FHP Sergeant Dan Hinton, and just this week, Sanibel Officer Anthony Neri.
Retired police chief Walt Zalisko said he knows just what it’s like to go through a law enforcement training. He said he feels for the families of Master Sergeant Daniel Hinton and Officer Anthony Neri. “It’s very sad. I feel for the families,” he said.
Hinton died after he had a heart attack during a Florida Highway Patrol training in February. He was 56 years old. And Monday, the Sanibel Police Department lost Officer Neri, who passed away during training as well.
Zalisko said those trainings can be pretty intense. “The initial trainings are meant to be rigorous and strenuous to show what it’s really like for the recruits coming on…what you’re going to be expected to do out there,” he said.
He said even physically fit officers can still run into health problems during training because of other factors like age, working in the heat and stress from the job. He said more needs to be done to prepare them for training, let alone duty.
“This is just a training exercise. What if you’re actually responding to a call where someone’s life depends on it and you suffer a heart attack? So now you have two victims,” he said.
Local law enforcement agencies like Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said they require annual physical exams and encourage deputies to stay fit outside of work.
