Online Colleges

Career Articles

Back to Career Search

Police Diver

Description

Police divers do extremely interesting work. They work within for police forces, or in their own diving units, looking for lost or stolen property, searching for explosives, recovering evidence, and looking under the deep dark water for the bodies of murder victims and accidental drownings.

American waters are often cold enough to preserve evidence, meaning that police officers are now able to use modern crime scene protocols, adapted to the underwater environment. Members of the diving team use archeological devices and techniques, video cameras, and still photographs, to gather as much information as possible in their dive.

While fulfilling, the work of police divers is hard and often gruesome. Searching for victims can be difficult particularly in the middle of the night, under water, fighting the current, with visibility obstructed by darkness and plant life making the work even more difficult. Often, divers will have to dive under ice, or search in confined underwater spaces, in fresh, salt, and polluted water, in oceans, rivers, sewers, and backyard pools.

Police divers must follow specific rules. They must dive in teams, with someone monitoring from land. Often, paramedics stand by in case of any emergencies. They plan the dive before they jump, use scuba-diving equipment, and restrict their searches to specific areas, only searching about 270-360 feet at a time. Using maps, they sweep the areas, while attached to a tether. They must be very meticulous about their work, ensuring that all points on the map have been covered before calling an end to the search.

Police divers are sometimes only employed as divers part of the time. Depending on the size of the city or the location, police divers might work as regular officers some of the time, and dive only when necessary.

View Schools for this Career:


Related Careers


Air Weapons Control Officer
Ambassador
Artillery Officer
[ view all related careers ]

Program Spotlight

Matching School Ad

Grand Canyon University

Pursue a Bachelor's or Master's in Criminal Justice online

Programs Offered:

M.S. in Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement
M.S. in Criminal Justice: Legal Studies

Visit School Site

Interests and Skills

A police diver should be brave, yet cautious. This is because unnecessary risks or unplanned moves can cause death or injury to the divers in the team. Also, the diver should be mentally stable, whose emotions will not get in the way of completing a difficult task, like looking for the bodies of murder victims. A police diver should be fit, and able to focus on details, as well as perform thorough, meticulous searches.

Typical Tasks

Dive into reservoirs, quarries, lakes, sewers, rivers, at all times of day and night, looking for bodies, evidence, and lost or stolen property
Photograph and film area when item or body is located
Preserve and record evidence on site
Write follow-up reports
Give evidence in court
The day to day routine of a police diver is not always predictable. While they are initially trained as regular police officers, they concentrate on dives, although during the times when they are not actively involved in a dive, they may work as a regular officer. They will also be maintaining their equipment, re-training in diving techniques, or presenting information in court. The job will give divers the chance to work outside, although not always in favorable locations.

Workplaces, Employers and Industries

When they are not active in other police roles, or writing up reports about past dives and underwater searches, police divers are in wetsuits and scuba gear, swimming around in a variety of bodies of water; swamps, streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, ports, harbors, locks, weirs, reservoirs, spillways, quarries, pools, and sewers. Many police divers are employed by police forces, while others might choose to work for commercial diving companies. Any diver, no matter who they work for, will be in close contact with other police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and the public over the course of a dive.

Long Term Career Potential

As a trained police officer, a police diver can always stay with the force, moving up the ranks to supervisory roles within the department. Or, a diver could leave the police force and become a commercial diver, meaning the police work is left up to the police, while the commercial diver. There is also the possibility or joining another type of police unit, like investigation or the highway police.

Educational Paths

Before becoming a police diver, you must become a law enforcement office. To do this, an individual must apply to the police force, proving they have good eyesight, are in good physical condition and have a secure, healthy mind. While it is not required, it is recommended you attend a community college to get a diploma in law enforcement. There are police training schools and programs offered at colleges across the nation. It is also a good idea to get a university degree in law, security, or social sciences.

Once in the police force, individuals can move onto becoming a diver. Training occurs in various ways, depending on which police force you work for. Some police forces require a prospective diver to have completed 100 hours of diving before applying to become a diver. One might attend a short introductory course, learning about a variety of job tasks, including observation skills, using recording devices, diving techniques, and how to handle of evidence. Divers are usually tested annually, and re-train once about once a month. They can also get further training in such fields as underwater explosives recognition, ice diving, first aid, deep diving, and lifting submerged vehicles.

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, 2002, http://www.bls.gov/oes/2002/oes_nat.htm

Featured Schools

Matching School Ads

Grand Canyon University

Interested in enhancing your skills and knowledge in the criminal justice field? Learn more at GCU!

Programs Offered:

M.S. in Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement
M.S. in Criminal Justice: Legal Studies

Visit School Site

Liberty University

100% Online & No Standardized Testing

Programs Offered:

Master of Law: International Legal Studies
Master of Science in Criminal Justice Forensic Psychology
Master of Science in Criminal Justice Homeland Security
And more...

Visit School Site

Purdue University Global

Building on Purdue's mission to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education, Purdue University Global delivers a fully personalized online experience that's tailored to working adults.

Programs Offered:

BS in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement
Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology
MS in Criminal Justice
And more...

American InterContinental University Online

You’re serious about success. With your busy schedule and the desire to move your career forward, you can earn an accredited associate, bachelors or master’s degree at a pace that works for you anywhere, anytime, 24/7.

At AIU, the Serious U, you can get started to get ahead.

For important information about the educational debt, earnings, and completion rates of students who attended these programs, go to: www.aiuniv.edu/disclosures

Programs Offered:

Bachelor's (BSCJ) - Law Enforcement
Bachelor's (BSCJ) - Generalist

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo University was among the first colleges or universities to teach on military bases and has been educating servicemen and women since 1973.

Programs Offered:

AA: Criminal Justice
BA: Criminal Justice
MS: Criminal Justice
And more...

Visit School Site

Post University Online

Experience an education that helps you realize your potential in a way that fits you best. Request more information about Post University today.

Programs Offered:

B.S. in Criminal Justice / Law Enforcement
B.S. in Criminal Justice
A.S. in Criminal Justice
And more...

Visit School Site

Institute of Technology

You can get started on a new career with Institute of Technology.

For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website at www.iot.edu/disclosure

Programs Offered:

Criminology and Emergency Response Management

UEI College

At UEI College, we want you to succeed. We’re like a family and we want you to be a part of it.

Programs Offered:

Criminal Justice (11-Month Diploma Program)

New England College

Discover the Difference a Community of Support Makes in Your Educational Journey. From Application to Graduation, the Guidance You Need to Achieve Your Goals. 100% Online.

Programs Offered:

BA in Criminal Justice
AA in Criminal Justice

Matching School Ads

Universities and Colleges

Clarkson University	Colorado School of Mines	Dalhousie University
Oral Roberts University	Penn State Harrisburg	Temple University
The University of Houston	Thompson Rivers University	UNB Saint John
University of Alabama	University of Arkansas	University of British Columbia
University of Iowa	University of New Brunswick	University of Ottawa
York University



	Agriculture and Bio-resources \| Allied Health and Health Sciences \| Applied Business Technology \| Architecture Business Administration \| Computer Science \| Cosmetology and Esthetics \| Culinary, Travel &Hospitality \| Dance Engineering Technology & Applied Technology \|Engineering \| Film \| Fine Arts and Design \| Humanities and Liberal ArtsJustice and Security Music \| Natural and Applied Sciences \| Naturopathic and Holistic MedicineNursingPublic Administration & PolicyReligious and Theological Studies Sport Sciences and Physical Education \| Teacher Education \| Theatre

	Articles \| College News \| Videos \| Feedback \| Career Search Home \| About Us \| Contact Us \| Faq \| Terms of Use \| Privacy Policy \| Site Map \| Cities Site Map

	Copyright 2003- 2019 QuinStreet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.