San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials say they are investigating complaints that training staff physically assaulted an academy trainee during instruction at the Frank Bland Regional Training Center on November 5. The department and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office opened a joint criminal investigation into the allegations the following day, and the personnel involved have been placed on administrative leave while that inquiry continues.
According to a notification posted by the San Bernardino County Sheriff
, the complaints alleging the assault were forwarded to the department by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, the state body known as POST. The department said the alleged assault occurred during training at the Frank Bland Regional Training Center in San Bernardino, though the notice does not identify the trainee or the training staff involved, nor does it describe what allegedly happened.
Beyond the criminal probe, the department’s Professional Standards Division will carry out a separate administrative investigation to determine whether department policy was followed. The notice names Shannon D. Dicus as Sheriff-Coroner and states that the sheriff is committed to providing a safe training environment for people entering the law enforcement profession. No outcome has been announced for either investigation, and the evidence released so far does not establish that a crime or policy violation occurred.
What POST's Role Means for the Case
The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, which forwarded the complaints that triggered this investigation, was established to set minimum selection and training standards for law enforcement across the state, according to CA.gov. That oversight role is why complaints about conduct inside a local academy can reach a state commission before landing back with the county department and prosecutors running the joint investigation.
Academy Misconduct Allegations Elsewhere
San Bernardino’s case follows a string of scrutiny over law enforcement training programs elsewhere in the country. In Atlanta, complaints from police training academy recruits alleging bullying, favoritism and other misconduct have prompted multiple investigations and reviews, as reported by Scalawag.
In Massachusetts, state police leadership announced academy reforms after recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia suffered critical injuries during a boxing exercise in September 2024, per The Boston Globe. Four academy instructors tied to that case were criminally charged, and those cases remained pending as of the Globe’s reporting. As part of its reform effort, the Massachusetts State Police said it would replace the drill instructor title with a leadership team of 15 sworn personnel for incoming recruit classes.
No Determination Yet in San Bernardino
For now, San Bernardino County officials have not released the identities of the trainee or the training staff involved, nor any details about the nature of the alleged assault, injuries, or responses from those involved. The joint criminal investigation between the sheriff’s department and the district attorney’s office, along with the separate administrative review, remain in their early stages, with no charges or disciplinary findings yet documented.
