In June, 2011, the city of Alemeda, California, immediately changed its policies after first responders stood by and watched a man drown in San Francisco Bay. The first responders didn't venture into the muddy waters of the bay, even as the suicidal man started treading water and then eventually went under.

According to Michael D'Orazi, the Interim Fire Chief for Alemeda, two things prevented authorities from taking action: First, because it was a crime scene, the police "felt that going into the water initially might not be the best idea because they were unsure if this individual was armed." Secondly, D'Orazi also said, "There was a policy in place that pretty much precluded our people from entering the water." The firefighters "were incredibly frustrated by this whole situation [because] they wanted to get in, they wanted to take action."

Local officials also noted that due to a lack of funding, firefighters had no one properly trained to go into the water. The Alemeda Interim Police Chief was also quoted to say, "It's muddy out there. We don't want [the police officers] sinking. We don't want them in distress."

Fortunately, the policies were changed only a few days after this incident.