TEMPE, AZ — The City of Tempe is installing dozens of flotation bags at Tempe Town Lake.
The announcement comes from Tempe's Community Services Director Craig Hayton, who says 37 bags will be installed at many access points of the lake on Monday, June 5.
After installation is complete at Tempe Town Lake, the city will install nine flotation rings at Kiwanis Park Lake in south Tempe.
Swimming is not allowed at either lake, except during city-permitted special events. According to the city, police officers are not trained for or required by policy to enter bodies of water to perform rescues.
The installations come after the City of Tempe was named in a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from a 2022 drowning.
Court documents show a civil suit was filed in Maricopa County Court on Friday, May 26, 2023, by the family of Sean Bickings.
The lawsuit claims the officers who approached Bickings before he went into Tempe Town Lake were not prepared in their response.
