Benton County divers train for emergencies

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS

The Benton County Sheriff's Office and Dive Team uses Crystal Lake for recovery training at Crystal Lake near Decatur July 28.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS The Benton County Sheriff's Office and Dive Team uses Crystal Lake for recovery training at Crystal Lake near Decatur July 28.

DECATUR -- Visitors to Crystal Lake July 28 noticed that the area was closed for most of the day due to a training exercise conducted by the Benton County Sheriff's Office dive team. About 15 members of local law enforcement joined the Benton County unit during its Crystal Lake recovery exercise.

The dive team conducts regular training sessions on area lakes to keep its divers and other team members current in search, rescue and, in the case of this exercise, recovery operations.

According to Lt. Shannon Jenkins, public information officer for the Benton County Sheriff's Office, the dive team "is designed to assist the Benton County Sheriff's Office, other law enforcement agencies in Benton County, the state of Arkansas, surrounding states, and other private and public entities. The BCSO dive team's primary responsibilities are to locate and recover drowning victims and assist in the locating, recovering and preservation of evidence. The dive team also conducts still and swift water shore rescue operations and conducts underwater and other covert reconnaissance operations as needed.

​The Benton County Sheriff's Office dive team consists of a team commander, team leader, assistant team leaders, sonar operators, divers and shore support members. The dive team also has additional team members from the Rogers Fire Department who are Part-Time 2 certified or certified as specialized deputies. Dive team members receive specialized training, including but not limited to dive search and recovery operations, rescue diving, swift-water rescue, boat operations and sonar operations.

​The dive team is available for deployment to planned or emergency events and will serve either as a primary or support unit for all water-based operations. All operations conducted by the Benton County Sheriff's Office dive team are done in the interest of public safety," according to a news release from Lt. Jenkins.

During the team's operation at Crystal Lake, several targets were dropped on the bottom of the lake before the exercise began. The dive team's pontoon support boat then searched the bottom using a side-scan sonar, which is towed behind the boat like a torpedo, to locate any targets of interest.

The side scan device emits wide fan-shaped pulse signals towards the lake bottom at a perpendicular path to the sensor as it is towed through the water. The intensity of the reflections is recorded in a series of cross-tracked images. When these images are put together, they form a detailed map of the bottom, showing rocks, cans and bigger objects like boats, bikes, cars and even bodies. The sonar is a vital tool for the dive team when they are looking for a specific target like a drowning victim or a stolen car.

The boat runs a grid pattern that encompasses the entire lake bed. The images from the sonar are reviewed and, once targets are located, the divers are deployed. When a diver determines what the target is and if it is what the sheriff's office is looking for, the item is recovered and sent to a crime lab for further analysis.

The Benton County Sheriff's Office dive team recovered all of the exercise targets, thus completing another successful mission. And, hopefully, the team will not have to return to Crystal Lake for a real recovery mission any time soon.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS

A pontoon boat serves as a search and rescue platform during the July 28 Benton County Sheriff's Office Dive Team training exercise at Crystal Lake near Decatur. The boat is equipped with a side scan sonar device that is used to detect objects on the bottom of the lake.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS A pontoon boat serves as a search and rescue platform during the July 28 Benton County Sheriff's Office Dive Team training exercise at Crystal Lake near Decatur. The boat is equipped with a side scan sonar device that is used to detect objects on the bottom of the lake.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS

With his backup readying (foreground) to deploy in a moment's notice, a Benton County search and rescue diver surfaces after submerging on a practice target at the bottom of Crystal Lake July 28. The Benton County Sheriff's Office Dive Team used Crystal Lake for underwater search and recovery training.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS With his backup readying (foreground) to deploy in a moment's notice, a Benton County search and rescue diver surfaces after submerging on a practice target at the bottom of Crystal Lake July 28. The Benton County Sheriff's Office Dive Team used Crystal Lake for underwater search and recovery training.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS

While a Benton County Sheriff's Office support boat scans the bottom of the lake for targets, a diver (lower right) waits to be deployed on another target underneath his position. The Sheriff's Office and Dive Team used Crystal Lake for a training exercise July 28.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS While a Benton County Sheriff's Office support boat scans the bottom of the lake for targets, a diver (lower right) waits to be deployed on another target underneath his position. The Sheriff's Office and Dive Team used Crystal Lake for a training exercise July 28.