“His passing has deeply impacted our department,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell during public remarks at a Police Commission meeting.
The officer who died, Thomas Denton, served in the department’s Metropolitan Division as a diving officer.
Just as dangerous is the opposite issue, hyperoxia.
It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of LAPD Police Officer III Thomas “Tommy” Denton, who tragically died in the line of duty during a training accident on November 5, 2026. Tom was more than a dedicated police officer. He was our friend, a longtime LAPPL… pic.twitter.com/JvcX4ElyMC
Denton was taken to an area hospital, where he later died, officials said.
They are also required to have an approved injury prevention plan.
Denton was a member of the Underwater Dive Unit, which was created in 1957 and as recently as a few years ago had 25 members who were responsible for handling and processing underwater accident and crime scenes, according to a department Facebook post. In recent months, the unit was called on to dredge the pool of a suspect in a federal Armenian organized crime investigation.
