Mother says son died after Kansas City Police Department agility test in heat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A local mom is calling for changes in the Kansas City Police Department. Kayla Edmond said her son, Brelande Edmond, died after a department agility test in the heat last month.

"He was signing up to protect people, and that facility couldn't protect him,” Edmond said.

It's a feeling Edmond will never forget.

“It's a major shock,” she said.

Edmond said on June 30, Brelande was in the early stages of becoming a KCPD officer. She said Brelande passed his written test and went on to take the physical agility test.

"He passed out,” Edmond said. "He lost his heartbeat. When I got to the emergency room, my son was on life support. He was on a respirator. He was on dialysis for organ failure.”

Edmond said Brelande was on life support for almost two and a half days and later died. She said doctors ruled the cause of his death a heat stroke and liver shock.

"They did this world a dishonor by not having safety measures in place to protect these people,” Edmond said.

A spokeswoman for KCPD confirmed an applicant participating in the pre-employment process had a medical emergency following the physical agility test being held at the Regional Police Academy and was taken to a local hospital.

Now, Edmond is hoping to change the policy at the Regional Police Academy.

“Requiring and monitoring blood pressure and temperature prior to these physical tests and during,” she said.