Utah Department of Public Safety

Below the Surface: DPS Dive Team

The DPS Dive Team is utilized by agencies across the State of Utah and neighboring states. Due to the equipment assets and the unique diver skill sets, the dive team is often called upon to provide assistance to aquatic homicide investigations and accidental drownings. The dive team performs these functions at no cost to county and municipal government in Utah. The DPS Dive Team is unique due to the the fact that the Department has made it possible for sworn and non-sworn employees to be a member. The team includes a driver license employee and an employee from DPS’ Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).

Made up of 10 DPS employees, the dive team is a special unit that trains and participates on the team in addition to their daily duties.

In 2017, the team participated in the search or recovery of six individuals. Through the year the team worked closely with over 10 local, federal and state agencies in search and recovery operations for individuals or evidence.

Recently, enhanced relationships with the Utah Department of Natural Resources have allowed for the development of a working relationship based on MOU to incorporate and additional diver and access to other state resources.

The DPS Public Affairs team took a deeper look into the team and their key role in enhancing public safety in our state.