Houston Police K-9 Dies Locked in Hot Patrol Car

HOUSTON, TX – The Houston Police Department is mourning the loss of a K-9 that passed away in a hot patrol car Monday.

According to the Houston Police Department, on June 12, 2023, we lost a member of our K-9 family in a tragic accident. Houston Police Department K-9 Aron, 4 years of age with 1.5 years of police service at the department, passed away from heat exhaustion. 

The handler left Aron in a running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is a necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work. When Aron's police handler returned to the vehicle, he discovered that the engine had shut off and Aron was in distress.

He was transported to an emergency veterinarian clinic but ultimately succumbed to the heat. HPD K-9 vehicles are equipped with a system that notifies the handler, sounds the horn, activates cooling fans, and rolls down the car windows, if for some reason the vehicle shuts down.

This did not happen in this instance. HPD is investigating the tragedy to determine what went wrong and to prevent this from happening in the future.

All HPD vehicles that transport K-9s will immediately be inspected by the vendor to ensure the systems are working properly. 

Please keep Aron's handler and the entire K-9 team in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Aron.