Gov. signs bill sparked by Iowa coach killing requiring hospitals to tell cops before release

Iowa gov. signs bill sparked by h.s. coach killing

DES MOINES, Iowa — Surrounded by the family of a slain high school football coach, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver on Wednesday signed into law a measure forcing hospitals to notify authorities before releasing mental patients wanted by police.

Despite concerns raised by hospital officials, the measure was approved unanimously by the state House and Senate. Culver signed it into law less than a year after coach Ed Thomas was gunned down in the Aplington-Parkersburg High School weight room by former player Mark Becker.

Becker, who was convicted of first-degree murder on March 2, had been released from a hospital’s psychiatric unit a day before he killed Thomas.

“The whole goal from day one of this is if we can get this done and no family has to go through what we went through, it’s well worth our time and our efforts,” said Aaron Thomas, one of the coach’s two sons.

Members of the Thomas family helped write the bill and testified at legislative hearings on the issue.

Culver signed the measure at the Iowa Hall of Pride, a center largely devoted to celebrating high school athletics. As he and members of the Thomas family spoke, videos showing Ed Thomas and his players were projected on the wall behind them.

Thomas amassed a 292-84 record and two state titles in 37 seasons as a head coach — 34 of them at Aplington-Parkersburg High School — and coached four players who have played in the NFL. He also was a leader in rebuilding Parkersburg after nearly one-third of the 1,800-person town was wiped out in May 2008 by a tornado that killed six people.

“This is really personal to me as a former teacher and a coach and someone who had the real privilege of watching coach Thomas in action on the field,” said Culver, who taught in high school before being elected to public office. “We can all learn a lot from his life and his example.”

Becker had been arrested after allegedly threatening a Cedar Falls man and damaging his garage, then leading police on a chase on June 20. Becker was admitted to a Waterloo hospital for psychiatric evaluation, then released on June 23 without notifying police. The next morning, he shot Thomas.

The new law lets police demand that someone taken into custody be evaluated by mental health professionals and possibly hospitalized. If there is a warrant pending or police plan to make an arrest, a judge or officer may require that police be notified before the patient is released.

Hospitals could be fined $1,000 for the first violation of the law and $2,000 for additional violations.

Hospital officials had raised concerns that the measure would require more work and expose them to liabilities, but Aaron Thomas said the legislation took a commonsense approach. He noted that besides coaching, his father taught classes in government and would have supported the bill.

“This is what’s best for Iowans,” Aaron Thomas said. “We hope there will be more legislation along these lines. Obviously we wish we didn’t have to have this bill.”