Police make a late-night water rescue

Long Beach Police rescued a swimmer near Riverside Boulevard on June 26, after police said the victim went into the water in the middle of the night.

According to police, officer David Walpole was patrolling the beach when he heard someone yelling for help from the dark ocean waters at 1 a.m. Walpole called for assistance and initiated a water rescue operation.

Using the spotlight on his patrol vehicle, Walpole located the swimmer as he cried for for help. Police said Walpole launched a Res-Q-Max — an emergency flotation device which is used to pull the victim to safety after latching onto it.

The incident occurred just before the official start of beach season kicked off that morning. The day before, June 25, three people were rescued from the water after they went swimming while lifeguards were not

on duty.

During this latest incident, police said, two back-up officers — Darren Brennan and Christopher Monahan — responded to assist Walpole. They entered the water and located the victim, following directions from fellow officer, Joseph Wiemann, who used a P.A. system and helped guide Brennan and Monahan to the distressed

swimmer.

Once the victim was found, police said they latched onto the flotation device and were pulled to safety. The swimmer reportedly suffered no serious injuries, but was issued a summons for being in the ocean after hours and while no lifeguards were on duty, City Manager Charles Theofan and Police Commissioner Thomas Sofield said.

“I cannot stress enough the dangers of swimming in the ocean when [swimmers] are not protected by lifeguards," Sofield said in a statement. "Riptides and strong currents can strike at any moment and without warning. The Long Beach Police Department is fortunate enough to have police officers such as Walpole and others who took part in this water rescue operation. If not for their quick-thinking and actions, the consequences of this event could have been catastrophic.”