Parks act receives governor’s signature

LITTLE ROCK — The Vincent Parks Act was signed into law Monday by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, with Parks’ widow at her side.

The law requires instructors at the state’s police academy to be trained on how to prevent and respond to illnesses cadets could face during physical activity.

“Protecting and supporting our heroic police officers should start long before they are ever on the streets,” Sanders said in a news release. “This bill will help us do that in close consultation with the law enforcement leaders who run our state’s training programs.”

Parks, 38, died after training for about 25 minutes in extreme heat, an Arkansas State Police investigative file revealed. State officials initially released a statement saying Parks had not participated in physical activity before his death. It took nearly a month after multiple questionings from media and legislators to correct the statement.

“It means everything to me that we have this safeguard in place for future officers and that we can let his legacy live on,” Parks’ wife, Christina, said Monday. “We want to do everything we can to protect the people who are training to protect us.”

Rep. Francis Cavenaugh, R-Walnut Ridge, sponsored House Bill 1458, which soared through the House and Senate unanimously. She also was one of the first public officials to question Arkansas Department of Public Safety officials about Parks’ death.

Parks died on the first day of training at the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy on July 17. He already was a commissioned officer with the Jonesboro Police Department when he left his family for the 13-week basic training course.

Training started about 1 p.m. at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock on a day that the National Weather Service had issued heat-related advisories. The weather service recorded a heat index of about 106 degrees in the area about the time Parks and other cadets started physical activity in the khaki pants, polo shirts and work boots they were required to wear.

Parks fell ill about 1:25 p.m. and was escorted to a picnic table where he was provided oxygen, statements in the investigative file say.

By 3 p. m. he was pronounced dead at Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock, the file states.

A news release sent hours after Parks’ death said that he was not participating in physical activity prior to falling ill. The release was sent by Bill Sadler, then-Arkansas State Police spokesman, at the request of former Arkansas Department of Public Safety Secretary Jami Cook.

Cook resigned due to health concerns soon after Parks’ death.

The state police announced a review of Parks’ death was changed to a criminal investigation in August after finding facts “contrary” to original statements.

Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley decided in December that no criminal charges would be filed. He cited the medical examiner’s report that ruled the cause of death an accident from three health conditions: sickle cell disease triggered by physical exertion and heat stress, hypertensive heart disease and obesity.

In a letter written to state police Col. Bill Bryant on Dec. 15 and released the next day, Jegley outlined his reasons for not pursuing charges.

“However, the file did contain concerning issues with the culture of the training program at ALETA,” Jegley wrote, “including hazing and the lack of helpful cooperation in the investigation. We will not reiterate those concerns here but would invite a careful inquiry into the practice, procedures and other problems at ALETA made obvious in the ASP report.”

The investigative summary mentions some recruits claiming the training was “hazing” or a “smoke session” event because of the nature of activity being conducted in extreme heat.

All 28 recruits agreed that it was too hot of a day to be conducting physical training in the clothes they were instructed to wear, the summary says.

Some of the recruits said they were unfairly treated and not allowed to have water breaks or use the restroom, the report says.

Parks’ attorney, Jim Jackson, has filed a complaint with the Arkansas Claims Commission seeking monetary damages against the Department of Public Safety and training academy employee Joe Duboise.

The complaint calls the activity on July 17 at the training academy “hazing” and initial statements that Parks did not participate in training a “cover-up.”

“This narrative was a bald-faced lie put forth by Central ALETA [ Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy],” the claim states. “Central ALETA’s instructors knew they had no excuse for making the new officers perform physical activities in the sun on the afternoon of July 17, 2022.”

Christina Parks said Monday she is “glad there is some good coming out of this tragedy.”

“I want to thank all the legislators who worked on this,” Parks said. “We could have swept it under the table.”

Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott questioned the training academy’s actions within the weeks after Parks’ death.

“I’m glad we got the bill signed, and we can move forward and better protect our future officers attending the state’s academy,” Elliott said Monday. “My thanks go out to our sponsoring legislators and the whole legislative body for passing it.”