LOS ANGELES — Police are investigating whether safety protocols were followed during a training exercise at a private backyard pool where an LAPD dive officer died, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Officer Thomas Denton, 46, was training Nov. 5 at a home in Huntington Beach when he apparently drowned. Police are examining the circumstances of the exercise, including why it took place at a private residence instead of a department facility, according to the LA Times.
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Two law enforcement sources told the LA Times that Denton may have been testing a closed-circuit rebreather. The equipment filters carbon dioxide from a diver’s exhaled breath, allowing longer dives without releasing bubbles that could reveal the diver’s location.
Denton belonged to the Metropolitan Division’s Underwater Dive Unit, which typically searches for evidence and missing people. Within the LAPD, rebreathers have historically been used by SWAT tactical divers for covert assignments, according to the LA Times.
Huntington Beach firefighters responded around 11 a.m. to a home in the 17000 block of Crown Circle after a report of a drowning during dive training. Denton was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The investigation includes questions about approval for the training location. Officers who train at outside facilities must obtain authorization through their chain of command, up to their senior captain, and have an approved injury prevention plan, the LA Times reported.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is also investigating. An agency spokesperson told the LA Times that workplace investigations generally can take up to six months to determine whether safety violations occurred.
David McMurdie, a former Alameda County Sheriff’s Department dive team chief and co-founder of California Recovery Divers, told the LA Times that rebreathers can expose divers to dangerous oxygen levels. Too little oxygen can cause hypoxia, while excessive oxygen can trigger seizures underwater. He emphasized the need for equipment safety checks, even among experienced divers.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell acknowledged Denton’s death during a Police Commission meeting on Nov. 10.
“His passing has deeply impacted our department,” McDonnell said.
The department said it is conducting a comprehensive investigation and will release its findings “at the appropriate time.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered flags at the State Capitol flown at half-staff in Denton’s honor.
Denton is survived by his wife and two children.
