Last week 10 Indiana State Police officers were recognized in Indianapolis by Superintendent Douglas Carter for their resolute dedication and appointment to the department’s Underwater Search Rescue/Recovery. The scuba team members had recently completed their six-month probationary period as divers and received their uniform pins from Carter, designating them as USRT members, according to a press release. Carter addressed the new divers with “heartfelt emotion and respect,” the release stated. The superintendent started his diving career with the state police in 1986 when he attended the state police Basic Underwater Dive School. The superintendent recalled completing the school the hardest thing that he had ever done and respected the divers for their dedication to the program. The state police BUDS program started in 1960 with 14 men that were sent to a six-day scuba school. The program his since evolved into a 24 day school where more than 25 dives are completed combined with 40 hours of classroom work. USRT Commander Sgt. Alan Lowrance commented that the divers leaving the BUDS program today are well equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to safely navigate the often dangerous waters of public safety diving. Public safety divers often dive in less than ideal conditions including zero visibility and entanglement hazards, commented Lowrance. Today the state police have 35 divers on the USRT stationed around Indiana to respond to various types of water related incidents including evidence recovery, drowning and swift water rescue. New divers include Troopers Caleb Clark, Peru; Christopher Lockman, Seymour; Richard Clay, Pendleton; Eric Meyer, Wolcottville; Andy Cochran, Warsaw; Ryan Royer, Lafayette; Adam Duffitt, Kokomo; Zachary Smith, Henryville; Matthew Lazoff, Hudson; and Skyler Whittington, Pendleton.
