Massachusetts officials have notified police chiefs that some officers have been getting around parts of their online training.

In a letter last week, Municipal Police Training Committee Executive Director Jeff Fanrsworth said officials had learned that some police officers have been “bypassing their TY25 online training by using technologies that override controls meant to prevent fast-forwarding through the training.”

Farnsworth noted that the committee had found “instances where trainings that should take hours to complete are finished in a matter of minutes.”

The committee is working with Acadis, the company that operates the training system, to look into the issue and determine what needs to be done to address it.

Police chiefs whose departments have members who finished online courses in less than the minimum expected runtime are being notified, Farnsworth said. Those officers will be required to do all their training for this year in person.

“Any officer that has failed to complete any required training in its entirety will be required to attend in-person training and their names will be forwarded to [the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission] for failure to successfully complete in-service training,” Farnsworth wrote in the letter.

The POST Commission, established by a criminal justice reform law in 2020, maintains lists of disciplinary records, suspensions and decertifications for Massachusetts police officers, handling claims of misconduct.

MASSACHUSETTS — Public health officials are investigating a multi-state E. coli outbreak that has been tied to multiple brands of recalled organic carrots, and has sickened people in Massachusetts and nearly two dozen other states.

Grimmway Farms recalled multiple sizes and brands of bagged organic whole and baby carrots on Nov. 16 because they may be contaminated with a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The carrots were sold at a number of retailers including Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.

A total of 39 people have gotten sick nationwide after contracting E. coli from this outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person from California died, and 15 had to be hospitalized.

“The recalled carrots should no longer be available for purchase but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers,” the Food and Drug Administration added.

For bags of organic baby carrots, the best-if-used-by date ranged from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12.

Brands selling these carrots included 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O-Organic, President’s Choice, Raley’s, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Wholesome Pantry.

Packages of whole organic carrots were available for purchase in stores from Aug. 14 to Oct. 23, according to the CDC. The brands distributing these carrots included 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O-Organic, President’s Choice, Simple Truth, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, and Wholesome Pantry.

There was no best-if-used-by dates on the bags of organic whole carrots, the recall states.

Consumers are asked not to eat these carrots if they still have some in their refrigerator or freezer, and either throw them out or return them to the store. Also, the CDC advises that consumers wash any items and surfaces that may have touched the recalled carrots, using hot soapy water or the dishwasher.

E. coli can cause serious symptoms, including high fever, diarrhea, consistent vomiting, and dehydration. Anyone who experiences any of these symptoms is advised to call their healthcare provider.

The CDC also said that the true number of sick people in the outbreak is likely much higher than reported, and that it takes three to four weeks to determine if an ill person is part of an outbreak.

Illnesses have also been reported in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, California, Oregon, and Washington.

Signaling to undocumented migrants that the state won’t lift a finger to enforce immigration laws is like turning on the flashing neon “vacancy” sign on a motel. Need a room? Come here. 

Originally Published: November 18, 2024 at 12:54 AM EST