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Keep in mind that the guy jumped into the water even though he knew he could not swim and it was a no swimming area. Also, who's to say the cops can swim. Yes,

Keep in mind that the guy jumped into the water even though he knew he could not swim and it was a no swimming area. Also, who's to say the cops can swim. Yes, they could have jumped in but who would have saved the cops? They are cops not supermen. There should be an investigation but some situations are just bad and nothing can change that.

polski-g 4y ago
When you go into the water to save someone, you knock then unconscious or they will drag you down with them. So let's assume the cop did that, now he's suspended for assault. The only way to win is to not play.
legitster 4y ago
> They are cops not supermen. Part of the issue is that a good portion of the US worships cops as heroes, and police themselves actively cultivate this image, when in reality they are civil servants.
pfortuny 4y ago
Exactly: never try to save a drowning man if you cannot swim. That only leads to two drowning men.
dreamcompiler 4y ago
Agreed. This is not comparable to the Uvalde situation. In Uvalde, the cops were specifically trained for that situation and apparently refused to act. That's a deplorable dereliction of duty. The Arizona drowning was different. AFAIK cops are not typically required to be able to swim nor are they trained to be lifeguards, especially in places where no swimming is allowed (which this was). Even if one of the cops did know how to swim and happened to be trained in water rescue, he/she would have needed to take the time to doff all their gear before going into the water or they would have sunk like a rock. And in that case, who guards their gear? Their partner obviously, but now they've left their partner alone with a potentially hostile crowd while the partner is also guarding their weapons and trying to make sure the officer who entered the water is not drowning. And what if the swimming officer starts to have difficulty? Who rescues them? If I were the supervisor of these officers and one entered the water alone while leaving his/her partner alone, I would probably fire them for making a dangerous situation worse (if they lived). The only proper procedure here is to radio for additional resources, which they did. (Whether they did so immediately or dragged their feet is another question.) EDIT: Looks like 3 officers were involved. This lessens the danger on shore but the danger to a lone swimming officer still applies.

polski-g 4y ago

When you go into the water to save someone, you knock then unconscious or they will drag you down with them. So let's assume the cop did that, now he's suspended for assault. The only way to win is to not play.

legitster 4y ago

> They are cops not supermen. Part of the issue is that a good portion of the US worships cops as heroes, and police themselves actively cultivate this image, when in reality they are civil servants.

pfortuny 4y ago

Exactly: never try to save a drowning man if you cannot swim. That only leads to two drowning men.

dreamcompiler 4y ago

Agreed. This is not comparable to the Uvalde situation. In Uvalde, the cops were specifically trained for that situation and apparently refused to act. That's a deplorable dereliction of duty. The Arizona drowning was different. AFAIK cops are not typically required to be able to swim nor are they trained to be lifeguards, especially in places where no swimming is allowed (which this was). Even if one of the cops did know how to swim and happened to be trained in water rescue, he/she would have needed to take the time to doff all their gear before going into the water or they would have sunk like a rock. And in that case, who guards their gear? Their partner obviously, but now they've left their partner alone with a potentially hostile crowd while the partner is also guarding their weapons and trying to make sure the officer who entered the water is not drowning. And what if the swimming officer starts to have difficulty? Who rescues them? If I were the supervisor of these officers and one entered the water alone while leaving his/her partner alone, I would probably fire them for making a dangerous situation worse (if they lived). The only proper procedure here is to radio for additional resources, which they did. (Whether they did so immediately or dragged their feet is another question.) EDIT: Looks like 3 officers were involved. This lessens the danger on shore but the danger to a lone swimming officer still applies.