- Matt Esnayra
LBPD cop who left his K-9 in a hot patrol car for hours won’t face charges in dog’s death
Update:
The LBPD officer, who left a police dog in a hot patrol car, won't be facing jail time after the L.A County District Attorney's Office and the Long Beach Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges, per the LB Press-Telegram.
On the day of the incident, the temperature in Long Beach was 88 degrees, but it's unknown where Ozzy, the police dog, died.
Ozzy's handler, Chris Thue, is under internal investigation by the LBPD, a spokesperson told the Press-Telegram.
Previously reported:
According to the L.B.P. D, on August 14, 2019, at roughly 3:40 p.m., a Long Beach PD K-9, named Ozzy, died after being left in his handler's patrol car. Both Ozzy and his handler were both off duty at the time of the incident.
In a statement provided to MTLB, Long Beach Police Department spokesperson Arantxa Chavarria said, "Our K-9 vehicles are outfitted with fail/safe equipment that is meant to generate an alert. At this time, we believe this alert may not have been working," and the veterinarian saw Ozzy for a medical examination, and "the preliminary results determined the cause of death to be heat-related."
What's Next: The L.B.P. D is conducting a "bureau review into all the equipment, our protocols, and circumstances of the accident." and that "all of our patrol K-9 handlers are checking their Heat System Controller prior to every shift and will continue to do so as part of their daily protocols".
More Information: In a 2015 news report by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, "Police dogs die from heatstroke more than any other non-medical reason," and from 2011 to 2015, "at least 46 police dogs across the United States died from overwhelming heat while locked inside their handlers cars."