California Fines SFPD in Death of Police Recruit During Training

California workplace regulators fined the San Francisco Police Department $40,500 for serious violations related to the death of a recruit during a strenuous training exercise last summer.

In a citation letter issued last month obtained by KQED, the state’s workplace safety agency, better known as Cal/OSHA, said SFPD did not effectively identify or evaluate safety and health risks tied to the arduous physical drills, and concluded the department failed to correct hazards associated with the training.

Investigators also found that the department did not adequately train supervisors responsible for overseeing the exercises.

The violations stem from the collapse and subsequent death of Jon-Marques Psalms, a 30-year-old Southern California native and former tech industry worker.

The coroner’s report lists his official cause of death as “sequelae of rhabdomyolysis in the setting of a high-intensity training exercise,” in which excessive exertion essentially causes muscle cells to die and leak toxic substances into the body.

Psalms’ family has said they’ve struggled to get clarity from the city or police department about what they described as a “highly controversial” exercise.

Police have said the training is required by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, which establishes statewide standards for police academies.

According to accounts of the training, participants reportedly donned padded red suits to simulate confrontation with suspects and sparred with one another. Psalms “suffered a medical emergency,” and was treated at the scene before paramedics transported him to the hospital, where he died two days later, SFPD said.

According to the family’s GoFundMe fundraiser, Psalms — who had dreamt of joining the police force — was not yet eligible for life insurance or other benefits that could have helped his family financially, as they pursue a second autopsy and legal action.

CalOSHA said the department has appealed the citation. SFPD did not respond to a request for comment.

KQED’s Ted Goldberg contributed to this report.