By Henry K. Lee
San Francisco Chronicle
ALAMEDA, Calif. — An Alameda police K-9 officer is under investigation after his dog died when he left it in his personal sports utility vehicle for several hours during a training session, authorities said Wednesday.
The officer, whose name was not released, left the 6 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois inside his SUV while attending a use-of-force training exercise May 5 on Lincoln Avenue, police Lt. Bill Scott said.
The SUV had at least one window down for ventilation, Scott said. It also was not an unusually warm day - according to the National Weather Service, the high temperature that day at nearby Oakland International Airport was 70 degrees.
But when the officer returned to his vehicle after about three hours and 15 minutes, he found his dog “in distress,” Scott said. It was declared dead at a veterinary hospital. The cause is under investigation.
Police investigators forwarded the case Wednesday to the Alameda County district attorney’s office, which will decide whether to charge the officer with a crime.
Copyright 2009 San Francisco Chronicle