By Mediha Fejzagic
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is grieving for one of its best - Detective Duane Parkison was killed on Wednesday in an off-duty traffic accident while riding his bicycle in Irvine.
“People say, `Oh, he was a great guy,’ about someone, but Duane was that really, really great guy,” said Sgt. Phill Dupper who started his career with Parkison at the county jail. “Everybody loved him. He treated everybody the same, from groundskeeper to council members. He loved being a detective, always smiling.”
Parkison, 42, was a 15-year sheriff’s veteran assigned to the Rancho Cucamonga station’s robbery detail.
He began his career as a reserve deputy in Victorville and was hired as a full-time deputy sheriff in 1996. Parkison was promoted to detective in 2007 and transferred to Rancho Cucamonga in 2008.
Dupper was on the phone with him just couple of hours before the accident.
“We were trying to get together, set aside a time to have a lunch because he was on vacation,” Dupper said.
Then a call came from the station that his buddy died in a collision with a Mercedes SUV.
“It was just a horrible accident,” Dupper said. “They say he may have fallen off the bike right in front of the car.”
Parkison is survived by his wife and their three children, ages 15, 12 and 4.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Duane’s family during this very difficult time,” Sheriff Rod Hoops said. “Detective Parkison was a motivated member of the department dedicated to the safety of the residents of San Bernardino County. He will be greatly missed by all who had the honor of knowing and working with him.”
Parkison’s colleagues have set up a memorial fund to help out his young family, Detective Sgt. Paul Schaefer said.
“He and I have been in some dangerous situations, and when you come out of them you say, `That was close,”’ Dupper said. “When you work so closely, you become almost like brothers. It’s hard to lose that person.
“But as a law enforcement family, we step up. We will take care of his family.”
Funeral services will be held next week. Cards can be sent to the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department, 10510 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, 91730.
Donations to the Duane Parkison Memorial Fund can be made at any Arrowhead Credit Union or mailed to their Rancho Cucamonga branch, 9267 Haven Ave, Suite 101.
The outpouring of sympathy from people Parkison had only a casual relationship with “is incredible,” Schaefer said. “It’s sad how you get reminded what’s important in life, but that does not last as long as it should.”
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