Alarming new details emerge in death of veteran LAPD diver who drowned during SoCal training exercise
A veteran Los Angeles Police Department diver who died during a training exercise in Huntington Beach last week was in a backyard pool at the time and may have been using a specialized underwater device, according to a new report.The department is now investigating after Officer Thomas Daniel Denton suffered a medical emergency around 11 a.m.
in a backyard pool located in the 17000 block of Crown Circle on Nov.5.Huntington Beach firefighters responded to the scene and Denton was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Authorities are now investigating whether there were any safety violations related to the diving equipment Denton used at a private home’s swimming pool rather than the department’s facilities, the Los Angeles Times reported.“The Department is in the process of conducting a comprehensive investigation and will make the public aware of its findings at the appropriate time,” an LAPD spokesperson said in a statement to the California Post.The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is also looking into the circumstances surrounding Denton’s death, according to the Times.During the on-duty training exercise, Denton may have been using a device called a closed-circuit rebreather, sources told the Times.The device is typically used by Navy SEALs because it allows divers to remain underwater undetected for longer periods of time.“Closed-circuit rebreathers use a different approach in supplying life support to the diver,” according to the Divers Alert Network.
The “rebreather’s primary tasks are to remove the carbon dioxide and replenish the life-sustaining oxygen.” David McMurdie, co-founder of the California Recovery Divers, told the Times the danger comes ...