The search-and-rescue mission to save a Fairfax County police officer who disappeared in Pohick Bay during a training exercise Tuesday afternoon is now a recovery mission.
Second Lt. Frank Stecco, a 19-year veteran of the force, was portraying a victim in a water rescue exercise for the police helicopter unit when he went underwater and disappeared, Officer Shelley Broderick said. The dive team, members of the police marine patrol and members of the Fairfax County Fire Department also were involved.
The exercise is the subject of an internal investigation to determine if proper policies and protocols were followed, Broderick said.
Stecco was not a member of the police dive team, according to police.
Boats, helicopters and divers continue to search for the officer.
The search will continue until Stecco is found, police said.
