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Officials offer safety tips after drowning in Palmdale

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Local deputies shown at a home in the 38000 block of 37th Street East in Palmdale, where a 1-year-old girl was found unconscious in a backyard pool. Jaazae’an Pope was pronounced dead about an hour after the incident was reported. (Photo by LUIS MEZA)
Local deputies on July 1 at a home in the 38000 block of 37th Street East in Palmdale, where a 1-year-old girl was found unconscious in a backyard pool. Jaazae’an Pope was pronounced dead about an hour after the incident was reported. (Photo by LUIS MEZA)

PALMDALE – A baby girl drowned in a backyard pool in Palmdale Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Paramedics were called to the 38000 block of 37th Street East about 2:20 p.m., according to Lt. Belinda Johnson of the sheriff’s Palmdale Station.

One-year-old Jaazae’an Pope of Palmdale was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, at Antelope Valley Hospital, said Lt. Smith of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

“It’s being reported as a possible accident,” said coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter. No further information on the drowning was immediately available.

Palmdale Sheriff’s Station officials are again reminding residents about the importance of water safety.

“In the summer, between the months of May and August, and most commonly on the weekends, two-thirds of all drowning deaths occur,” stated Palmdale Community Relations deputy Jodi Wolfe. “Educating yourself and your child about swimming safety can reduce the possibility of injuries or death when around bodies of water.”

Water safety and drowning prevention tips

The Palmdale Sheriff’s Station offers the following water safety/drowning prevention tips:

  • Do not leave your child unattended in the bathtub. A drowning can happen in as little as 20 seconds, even in water that is only inches deep.
  • When in or around open bodies of water, actively supervise your children by giving them your undivided attention.
  • Watch your child at all times. Avoid looking at your cellphone or electronic devices while your child is in the pool. Drownings are silent and occur very fast.
  • When children are swimming and several adults are present, designate an adult to supervise the children swimming for a certain amount of time. This will prevent lapses in supervision. Hiring a lifeguard is a great alternative when having a pool party with children present.
  • If your child is learning to swim, make sure they are wearing a flotation device that is Coast Guard approved.
  • Have children swim at a depth that is safe for them. Beginner swimmers should stay in the shallow end.
  • Do not dive in shallow waters or in waters you are unable to tell the depth.
  • A pool fence is a must. A fence can deter or prevent children from entering the pool area when there is no adult or lifeguard present. Teach your children to NEVER go through any pool gates when they are closed. Placing a lock on your pool gate can be another great precautionary measure.
  • Learn CPR. It will give you great piece of mind. Local hospitals, fire departments and the American Red cross offer CPR training.

“Working together as a community we can educate ourselves and our children on the safety of swimming,” Wolfe stated.

For more information on swimming safety tips, go to www.kidshealth.org. If you have questions or concerns, contact the Palmdale Sheriff Station at 661-272-2400 or email Deputy Jodi Wolfe at jewolfe@lasd.org.

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Filed Under: Palmdale

27 comments for "Officials offer safety tips after drowning in Palmdale"

  1. What a sad, sad occurance. Although the adults involved should be held to some levels of responsibility, I can’t help but think the focus is on the wrong thing. A family lost a beautiful baby girl, a mother and father lost their child. Prayers go out to all family and friends that suffered from this loss. I hope the child’s mother has a strong support system, and lots of loving positive people around her.Blessings. -Ariel

  2. I feel horrible for this child. If only the “adults” that were put to care for her actually watched her she would still be here today. I saw the Go Fund Me page and it says that she loved the water and loved to swim. With that being known why wasn’t she watched even closer when she had access to a body of water? Also she didn’t know how to swim so she couldn’t have loved it.

    I feel bad for this child to have such incompetent people in her life.

    • I feel bad for you. It must be tough being perfect and knowing that you are trapped on a planet full of mere mortals who make mistakes.

      • The death of a child is not a mistake. Forgetting to pay your water bill is a mistake.

        I know people make mistakes I am not saying that they don’t. I have forgotten to pay bills or buy a gallon of milk.

        However I have never not supervised my child as all 3 of my children are alive and well.

        Who ever was caring for this child should be charged with her death as if it wasn’t for their incompetence she would not be dead today.

        • If you think that just because your kids are alive and well you never gave them any opportunity to have an accident you are living a fantasy.

          Congratulations on your good fortune.

          • Tim Scott, you are a [removed], it’s your responsibility to make sure your children are protected especially if they are younger than 2 years old… Charges need to be filed

          • Really Terry? You say you are a father. Have you NEVER had one of those moments where you look one way, look another, and look back and your kid has gotten into something they shouldn’t? What do you do, keep them in a box? Every REAL parent I know, including myself, has a hundred stories we can and do share that end in “THANK GOD nothing bad happened”. If you think you are perfect and you want to call me names, fine, but I hope for your kid’s sake reality doesn’t come up and slap you in the face one day.

          • Tim Scott is a loon! No my kids have never been in a situation where I thought or said thank goodness that didn’t happen and that is were responsible parenting comes in.

            The death of a child is not an accident is negligence.

            I have never left my child in someone’s care that was not going to care for them properly and “accidentally” kill them.

            I don’t even know how anyone could but the death of a child in the same category as an “accident”

            That is the way of the world now a days though blame everyone and everything else and never take responsibility for your actions or lack there of.

          • Get over yourself loon.

            I had a three year old toddle into the kitchen. I called him…twice…then got up and went after him. When I walked into the kitchen HE WAS ON TOP OF THE FRIDGE. If he had done a swan dive into the tile I wouldn’t have been able to talk to him today (he’s thirty something, and still a climber), but he didn’t. Stuff happens. Be thankful it hasn’t happened to you or yours. I’m certainly thankful it didn’t happen to me or mine.

          • What? You called him twice and THEN got up to check on him?

            That is irresponsible parenting! That is exactly what I was talking about. If something would have happened to him you should have been charged as well. Why would you be in the other room and your toddler in a room unsupervised?

            It’s people like you, always an excuse as to why.

          • LOL…what, you follow your kid around in lockstep? How many you got? I had three, and no I didn’t hire bodyguards to lockstep along with two of them while I rode one’s heels. If I had lockstepped into the kitchen with the three year old and the one year old pulled himself up on the coffee table and fallen and cracked his head who would you want arrested for that. You guys with you “I stare intently at my child 24/7 nonsense crack me up, seriously.

          • No Tim, I’m the Father of the little girl who died, like I said you are a re-tard, leaving a child under 2 years old, unattended in water, when they don’t know how to swim, is paramount to murder; not an accident…

          • Terry, I’m sorry for your loss. If you don’t get that my responses were to people who would be perfectly happy to blame YOU, which I don’t, that’s fine because you are obviously in a very difficult time. The question of how your child came to be in the care of people you are now calling nothing less than murderers does circle back though.

          • Terry you can say nothing , your not a father because you never were there for my baby and you wished death apond her while she was alive so why are you speaking up

  3. RIP little angel.
    I hope God will be taking care of you now, and you be playing with his other angel
    I hope the parents find peace.
    It hurts me a lot just to think it could happen to my Children, dont know what I would do.
    God help us all.

  6. i happen to know this Deputy also and I am very proud of the work he does , Until you walk in their shoes don’t judge them . That was a very difficult call to respond too.RIP Little. Angel . By the way … You call this deputy a barfly I guess it takes one to know one otherwise how would you know how often he’s there !

    • I’m equally disgusted by this outpouring of “thank goodness for the armed and badged thug” as I was for the other nonsense. Neither has anything to do with the issue of pool safety or the loss of this child.

      My condolences to the family on their loss.

  8. I recognize one of these cops as one of the local Westside barflys. I wonder if he has ever had a DUI. Of course he’s never had a DUI, criminal charges are only for the walking human check books of the Antelope Valley that exist as fodder for the jail business.

    • What the hell does that have to do with this article? Go do your cop bashing somewhere else.
      RIP little angel.

    • The deputy you say you have recognized was responding to a call that resulted in the tragic loss of a very young life. Unless he has been convicted of a crime, your thoughts are worthless conjecture. How many times have you witnessed death while you were at work? How many times have you consoled strangers, in your average workday, when such sad occurrence has transpired? Since we can all judge one another from afar, my assumption is zero times.

      With that said, my condolences to this little one’s family.

    • Good thing you’re an EX AV resident because you’re a heartless, worthless, egotistical, uncaring, demonic piece of work.
      Poor little girl RIP little angel.

    • You disgusting worthless human being. This article is about the little angel who lost her life and not about whether or not a particular Deputy went to a bar. Why don’t you crawl back under the rock where you came from.