Police cadets keep heads above water during training exercise

Police officers in training are taught that their lives depend on the tools around their waist – gun, Taser, handcuffs and baton.

So it can be difficult to part with those tools in an emergency. But that’s exactly what police academy cadets had to learn Wednesday during a water-training exercise at the Durango Community Recreation Center.

“In the water, it’s going to be the one thing that very well could kill you,” said Dave Cunningham of Cortez, referring to his gun belt.

Eleven cadets in their sixth week of a 16-week course jumped into 7 feet of water and swam the length of the pool with pants, shirt, shoes, bullet-proof vest and a 15-pound gun belt attached. They then sat in a chair that lowered them into the water while they pretended to remove a seat belt, break a window and remove the gun belt – actions they would need to do if their cars were submerged and started to fill with water.

About two police officers die each year across the country from drowning, usually from getting swept away by flood waters or while trying to rescue a drowning victim, said Anita Seamans, director of the Southwest Regional Law Enforcement Academy, which enrolls the cadets.

She believes some officers don’t realize how much weight their equipment adds or what effect it has on their ability to swim when they’re head-deep in water. Wednesday’s training is a first for her class and the only one of its kind in Colorado, she said.

“The first time you do this does not need to be in the field; it needs to be in a controlled environment,” Seamans said. “If we’re dying like this, why are we not training?”

Firefighters and medics train regularly for water rescues, but police officers are usually first on a scene, so it makes sense to train them as well, she said.

“There is no way to avoid the water; it’s going to happen,” Seamans said. “There are too many lakes and rivers around here, and people are going to end up in the water when they don’t want to be, and the officer is going to want to help.”

Lifeguards and a medic with Durango Fire Protection District were on hand Wednesday to assist with the exercise.

Most cadets said swimming with clothes and added weight was about what they expected. But it’s better to train for such scenarios than to be surprised during an actual emergency.

“It created adrenaline,” said Cora Hill of Durango. “I can’t imagine the amount of adrenaline if it were to happen out in the field.”

Cunningham said it’s important to stay as calm as possible and make good decisions in near-drowning situations.

“If you’re in cold water, it’s going to sap your energy five times faster,” he said. “Being economical with your energy expenditure, that’s key.”

shane@durangoherald.com