Considering All the water based activities in Maryland, This is a good Idea.
Police recruits learning swimming, rescue skills
Courtesy photo County police recruits need to learn water-rescue techniques because of the vast network of waterways in the area. Brian Arnold helps pretend victim Casey Hall get to the poolside safely.But these students at the Arundel Olympic Swim Center on Riva Road weren't guppies, minnows or sharks. They were 27 police recruits training with the county Police Department.
In addition to other training, police recruits go through a 10-week course in water safety and rescue. Each Wednesday they spend about 2 1/2 hours in the Annapolis pool.
Sgt. Todd Powell, one of the supervisors at the training academy, said the swimming instruction has been part of recruit training for the past 18 years.
The county has 540 miles of tidal shoreline, more than most counties in the entire country, Powell said.
"At some point in their career, almost every officer has some involvement" with the water, he explained, whether bytaking part in a rescue or while in pursuit of someone who has jumped into a river or creek in an attempt to evade arrest.
It's important to get the recruits comfortable in the water and with their own swimming abilities, he said.
Last week, the students, four of whom are training to join the Bowie Police Department, practiced different towing techniques. On one side of the pool a "victim" jumped in, and a recruit rescuer jumped in on the other side. The rescuer swam the width of the pool, got the victim and guided him or her back to safety.
By the end of one rotation, the rescuers were clearly tired from swimming with the extra weight. Instructors would yell tips and advice to them as they completed their laps.
Standing by the side of the pool, Carl Doby cheered some recruits on and practiced techniques with others.
Doby, a recruit from Washington, D.C., is an experienced swimmer. He has been swimming since he was 7 and has coached others.
For him, the swimming lessons are fun; he enjoys learning the new techniques, and he likes helping the other recruits when he can.
"Everyone helps everyone. We're one family here, we're one team," he said.
While the county Fire Department handles most water-rescue calls, the police are often the first to get to the scene. When time is of the essence, officers must act fast.
"A lot of times (the officers) don't have the time to wait for the Fire Department to get there," Powell said. "They need to take some kind of action."
The Maryland Training Commission requires that officers know some water rescue techniques, including those for swift-moving water rescues and ones involving ice. But the county training goes above and beyond those requirements, Powell said.
Besides learning basic swimming skills and towing techniques, recruits also learn how to use flotation devices, and how to safely use watercraft such as canoes and rowboats.
"It helps them help themselves, and potentially help someone else," Powell said.
But "there's only so much we can teach, because every situation is different and dynamic," Powell said.
Getting recruits to be confident in the water is one of the most important things, because it gets them over any initial fear they may have.
The future officers come into the water training with varying levels of experience. Some are marginal swimmers.
"Some of them are very scared in the beginning," he said.
For Erick Gonzalez, swimming was a foreign concept. Before he hit the pool with his classmates two weeks ago, it had been years since he'd dipped a toe in the water.
"It's new. I've never had formal swimming lessons before," the 23-year-old Lanham resident said. He dreaded the weekly classes in the beginning, but now feels a bit more comfortable in the water.
"You never know when you actually might need it," he said, noting that water rescue techniques could come in handy at home or on the job.
