Los Angeles Police Department Officer Thomas Denton died during dive training that took place in a backyard pool located in Huntington Beach, as detailed by a local news report. The incident involving Officer Thomas Denton centered on the testing of a closed-circuit rebreather device during the dive-training drill.
Following the emergency response to the Huntington Beach backyard pool, Officer Thomas Denton was transported for medical attention. At Orange Coast Medical Center, Officer Thomas Denton was pronounced dead. Before the fatal incident during the dive training with the closed-circuit rebreather device, Officer Thomas Denton served the Los Angeles Police Department as a twenty-year department veteran.
State and local oversight bodies have initiated formal inquiries into the circumstances of the fatality. Specifically, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the fatality associated with the dive training in Huntington Beach. At the same time, the Los Angeles Police Department is conducting an investigation into the death of Officer Thomas Denton, the twenty-year department veteran.
In recognition of the death of Officer Thomas Denton, state leadership took formal action regarding public displays. Governor Gavin Newsom ordered state Capitol flags to be lowered to half-staff to mark the passing of the Los Angeles Police Department officer who died during the dive-training exercise involving the closed-circuit rebreather device in the Huntington Beach backyard pool.
Addressing the loss of the twenty-year department veteran, Governor Gavin Newsom told a local news report, "Jennifer and I deeply mourn his loss and our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues. May he be remembered for his dedication and honorable service."
Governor Gavin Newsom also told a local news report, "Today, we honor Officer Denton’s lasting legacy to the people of Los Angeles."
The joint attention from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the Los Angeles Police Department highlights the ongoing nature of the inquiries into the dive training that ended in the death of Officer Thomas Denton. Both the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department review will examine the details of the closed-circuit rebreather device testing that occurred in the Huntington Beach backyard pool where the twenty-year department veteran suffered the fatal incident before being pronounced dead at Orange Coast Medical Center.
