LAPD investigating officer's death during dive training in Orange County

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating what led to an officer's death during a training exercise in Orange County last week.

"We are focused on Officer Denton's loved ones and the terrible loss they have suffered, as well as the impact of this tragedy on the LAPD Family," LAPD wrote in a statement. "The Department is in the process of conducting a comprehensive investigation and will make the public aware of its findings at the appropriate time."    

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL OSHA) will also launch an investigation since Officer Thomas Denton was on-duty when he died. 

Denton died at a Huntington Beach home on Nov. 6. In 911 audio, dispatchers told responding firefighters that Denton died while dive training in a pool along the 17000 block of Crown Circle Way.

He was assigned to the LAPD's Metropolitan Division, which consists of several specialties, including SWAT, K-9 and the Underwater Dive Unit. 

"Department divers have participated in hundreds of recovery operations in its history and are responsible for the investigation of numerous underwater crime scenes, as well as homeland security sweeps and searches," LAPD wrote on its website. 

The LA Times reported that Denton was testing out a device that would allow divers to go undetected while underwater.