Editorial: Better protect our K-9 officers

The number of tragic deaths across the country of K-9 officers left in hot cars signals there is a problem that requires a coordinated response to ensure the safety of these brave dogs that serve and protect in so many ways. The latest death happened in the Upstate Tuesday when a bomb-sniffing K-9 officer died at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport when it was left unattended in a patrol car for at least 90 minutes and the air conditioning failed.

Emma, a 7-year-old black lab, died when her handler went into the airport to handle another assignment and the air conditioning stopped working in the 2010 Crown Victoria, said Rosylin Weston, vice president of communications at GSP. The officer is "absolutely devastated," Weston said in an interview with The Greenville News, and the airport's investigation so far has led them to believe "the officer did nothing outside of standard procedure." It is not against practice for a handler to leave a K-9 in a car with the air conditioner running, she added.

Emma was the third bomb dog to be at GSP, Weston said, and she followed Amos and Tide, who both retired. The officer who handled Emma had 14 years' experience with dogs and also had been Tide's handler. GSP is left without a bomb dog, she said, but because of relationships with other agencies will have access to other K-9s if needed.

The dog's death is disturbing even though it appears not to involve some of the carelessness revolving around recent high-profile deaths of other K-9 officers in places such as North Carolina and Texas. In fact, Police K-9 Magazine had an article in its recent issue about how hyperthermia kills working K-9s every year. "Most heat-related K-9 deaths are preventable and occur either from being left in a car or worked too long," according to the article.

In North Carolina last month, a sheriff's office K-9 named Kela, a Belgian Malinois, was found dead the morning after her deputy handler forgot to take her out of the patrol car. According to news reports, the Duplin County sheriff said the officer was on duty when he got a call that his child need to be picked up from school because of an illness. The deputy forgot about the dog when he got home, according to news reports, and the police dog died in the car.

In Madisonville, Texas, another Belgian Malinois named Baron died last week in the back of a patrol car, and the police chief would not say how long the dog had been left, according to news reports. The Texas Rangers will conduct an investigation.

In Mills, Wyoming, a K-9 officer died in July after spending the day in a hot car without any water or ventilation, according to news reports. The handler, who reportedly was in the station for more than six hours, has entered a "not guilty" plea to the charge of animal cruelty.

In Arizona in April, a state corrections officer left a service dog in a vehicle for seven hours, and the dog died. The officer forgot about the dog, according to news reports, but the Maricopa County attorney opted not to prosecute because an officer had been acquitted in a 2007 case after leaving his dog in the car for more than 13 hours.

Each and every year, multiple stories such as these can be found involving K-9 officers left to die a horrible death in a hot patrol car. K-9 officers are expensive dogs and can cost between $5,000 to $15,000 because of the training involved in making them experts at sniffing out narcotics or bombs, or preparing them for the dangerous work of apprehending criminals.

These dogs also have many protections under law that reflect their unusual status and special value among dogs. Many states make it a crime to interfere with police dogs while they are on duty. In addition, South Carolina in 2013 joined many states in exempting police dogs and their agencies from any liability issues if the dog injures a person while the K-9 officer is working.

In many of the cases involving the accidental death of a K-9 officer, the dog's handler made a terrible mistake and the dog paid for it with his or her life. In a few others, such as in what apparently happened at GSP, the dog's handler left the animal in a car assuming it would be safe because the air conditioner was left running.

GSP K-9 car didn't have warning device

The Humane Society of the United States has very clear recommendations when it comes to dogs and cars: "Never leave your pets in a parked car. Not even for a minute. Not even with the car running and the air conditioner on."

GSP has promised an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Emma's death. That, along with full disclosure of the results, is needed to reassure Upstate residents that another K-9 officer will not suffer a similar fate.

More is needed, however, in the Upstate and around the country. Clear standards need to be adopted to protect K-9 officers that depend on humans to exercise sound judgment when it comes to their care. Strict protocols need to be in place to ensure a dog is removed from a vehicle in a timely manner, and in warm weather that means within minutes. Patrol cars need to be fitted with an alarm system that ensures the dog's handler and bystanders know if the air conditioner is not working in a vehicle in case an emergency requires leaving the dog in the car.

The humans responsible for these dogs, both handlers and the agencies that employ them, must assume more responsibility for protecting these expensive, highly trained, living creatures during hot weather.