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April 14, 2007
NEWS RELEASE
Dive team gets new tool for rescues
Courier-News Article
By BRANDON LAUSCH
Staff Writer
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, NJ - The Somerset
County Dive-Rescue Team took to the water Friday to
break in a new 14-foot inflatable boat that local and
county authorities lauded as both an effective crime-fighting
tool and a model of shared services.
"You have helped not just law enforcement, but
each person in Somerset County," North Plainfield
police Chief William G. Parenti said of the Crime Stoppers
of Somerset County, the nonprofit organization that
granted money for the $10,000 boat.
Parenti, who heads the Somerset County Chiefs of Police
Association, Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest and other
authorities joined members of the county's 17-officer
dive team Friday morning at Round Valley Reservoir
for a news conference and training session that marked
the first time the boat officially touched water.
When deflated, officials said the 180-pound boat can
be folded into a small bag and transported to the scene
of a search or rescue. When the watercraft is filled
with air, it is powered by a 25-horsepower outboard
motor and can hold up to four divers, authorities said.
The new boat, dubbed "Marine 2," replaces
a similar craft that Forrest said was used, damaged
and outdated. The county's dive team also uses a larger
boat on the eight to 12 missions it responds to each
year.
Fresh out of the water, North Plainfield Detective
Gene Segeda said the boat seemed roomier and appeared
to handle better than its predecessor. Segeda, who
has been with the dive team since its inception in
2000, estimated he has been on more than 300 dives
including missions and training.
Despite biting winds and a water
temperature of about 45 degrees, Segeda said conditions
-- including underwater visibility of about 20 feet
-- were practically ideal. Team members said they
often dive into murky "black
water" that forces divers to feel around for their
target, whether it's a body or piece of evidence.
"You can't be claustrophobic," said Segeda,
who offered to join the team after diving as a hobby. "You
don't dwell on (the lack of visibility). You have to
be goal-oriented and mission-oriented" to overcome
any hesitation, he said.
Authorities also showcased the dive team's other equipment,
including cameras and video equipment that can document
underwater crime scenes. Divers, who wear semi-tailored
wetsuits, are also trained to use rope guns, ice rescue
sleds and wireless communication systems that allow
divers to speak with on-shore team members. Some of
those officers, who control rope lines connected to
the life vests of divers, are called tenders.
"The tender, his sole responsibility is the diver," said
Prosecutor's Office Lt. Barry Jensen, commander of
the dive team. "He shouldn't be paying attention
to anyone else."
The dive team is comprised of officers from at least
10 local police departments, as well as members of
the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, who volunteer
to join the special unit. All team members are certified
divers and must complete a yearlong probation period
to become a full-fledged member, authorities said.
"These are the people who run toward a tragedy," Parenti
said of the dive team. "These officers do not
wait for their ship to come in. They row out to meet
it."
Brandon Lausch can be reached at (908) 707-3175 or
blausch@c-n.com.
Click here to see the video on Curier-News:
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070413/VIDEO/70413017
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