Statements made by a state law commission have been thrown into question after a police chief and a legislator said Thursday they believe that a Jonesboro police officer engaged in training, including physical activity, prior to his death Sunday at Camp Robinson.
Vincent Parks, 38, of Jonesboro died Sunday at a North Little Rock hospital after reporting to Camp Robinson for his first day of training, according to the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
The commission oversees the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, which uses Camp Robinson as its Central Arkansas training location.
A release from the commission, sent hours after Parks' death Sunday, stated that he exhibited symptoms of medical distress prior to an "initial exercise regimen." The commission's release said instructors separated Parks from the class prior to the regimen that started at 1:30 p.m.
"I have some concerns because I think the first reports we had was not correct," Rep. Frances Cavenaugh, R-Walnut Ridge, said Thursday. "I believe physical activity was involved in this. That brings up questions about why we were having physical activity during excessive heat. I want to get down to the truth not only for officer Parks but the others involved."
Central Arkansas was under a heat advisory from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, according to Dylan Cooper, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in North Little Rock. Heat advisories are put in place when heat indexes could reach 105 or greater for a region, he said.
Cooper said Thursday that the closest sensor to Camp Robinson is located at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field. He said the sensor showed temperatures at 97 degrees with a heat index of about 106 at 1 p.m. Sunday. He said the temperature was 99 degrees at 2 p.m. with a heat index of 106.
Cavenaugh said she's heard reports of two other officers needing medical attention due to training Sunday but declined to reveal the source of the information.
Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott said Thursday his "understanding" also is that Parks had started some physical exercises.
"It could have been heat-related," Elliott said. "It could have been medical. It could have been heat and medical. It could have been another combination."
Parks was one of five Jonesboro police officers going through initial basic training Sunday at Camp Robinson. Elliott said he pulled the other four officers from the 13-week-long academy session so the officers had time to grieve Parks.
Elliott said it is important the incident is looked into so Parks' family can have answers.
"I'm not pointing fingers but saying, 'Hey folks, a lot is going on and we are looking for answers,'" Elliott said. "The more things delay, the more things get twisted."
Bill Sadler serves as a spokesman for the Arkansas State Police and at times for the commission -- separate entities that both fall under the Department of Public Safety umbrella.
Asked Thursday about Elliot and Cavenaugh's comments that conflict with the original statement, Sadler said State Police are working on an independent review. He said the review will look at the timeline of events and statements from witnesses who were present as recruits arrived and when Parks was transported to the hospital.
"Until that timeline is built and all the interviews are completed, it would be premature to address any questions," Sadler said.
He went on to say that as the commission's spokesman he stands behind the original statement released Sunday.
"I will address any questions with regards to disparities that might arise out of this review when this review is completed," Sadler said.
During a legislative meeting Wednesday, Rep. Mark Berry, R-Ozark, asked Cody Hiland, chief legal counsel for the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, if the department has done anything to prevent potential heat-related casualties from occurring in the future.
"We lost a loved one on a Sunday, a police officer from Jonesboro training," Berry said during the meeting. "It is pretty disturbing in my mind. I have quite a bit of experience with heat-related injuries on the battlefield and in training.
"There is absolutely no excuse for a heat-related casualty in a training environment, especially when the Department of Health has excessive heat warnings all over the state for several weeks."
Hiland questioned how Berry knew it was a heat-related death since Parks' body was still undergoing testing and an autopsy at the state Crime Laboratory. Hiland added that multiple precautions were taken by trainers, including having an ambulance on site prior to the incident.
"The health of the people who go through these training exercises are of the utmost concern to the Department of Public Safety and [Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy]," Hiland said. "I can't speak to exactly what happened because I don't know. I don't have that information, but at the end of the day accidents happen. If accidents can be prevented, then we need to do everything we can to prevent them, but I'm uncomfortable answering questions about facts that I have no knowledge of."
Cavenaugh said Jami Cook, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and director of the Division on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, was asked to attend a legislative committee meeting Thursday to answer questions about Parks' death but that Cook was unable to attend.
Cook was scheduled to attend a committee meeting in August, Cavenaugh said, but Cook announced her resignation Thursday, citing health concerns.
Asked whether Parks' death had anything to do with Cook's resignation, Sadler said Cook had scheduled a meeting with Gov. Asa Hutchinson's chief of staff on July 13 to discuss her resignation -- days before Parks' death.
"We really need to find the truth, and we need to find the truth for Vinnie," Cavenaugh said. "We owe it to him and his family to find the truth. We have to find a way that this tragedy doesn't occur again."
Elliott spoke highly of Cook, saying she was in communication with him from the start.
"She has the same concerns," Elliot said. "She said, 'We'll talk to everybody and get everything together and let you know what happened.'"
Elliott said Parks had completed his review process, including physical activity testing, through the Jonesboro Police Department.
"There was nothing to tell us that there was anything to be concerned about coming in," Elliott said. "He passed everything and was cleared."
A funeral for Parks, a Jonesboro native, will be held today at Central Baptist Church, according to an obituary. He is survived by a wife and daughter.
Elliott described Parks as always having a smile.
"I've known him about a month," Elliott said. "He had a very pleasant disposition."
Elliott said Parks was starting his career in law enforcement later in life but it was a job he wanted to do for many years.
"He had this desire, and he finally decided to change career paths," Elliott said. "Everybody enjoyed being around him. It is unfortunate he didn't get far."