Police dog dies after being left in car when air conditioner malfunctioned

A 4-year-old police dog in Missouri has died of heat exhaustion.

The Arnold Police Department said the K-9, named Vader, was left in a running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle by his handler, “which is necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work.”

When Vader’s handler returned, he discovered the air conditioner inside the car had malfunctioned, police said.

Vader was taken to a local veterinarian clinic and initially showed signs of improvement. He was then transferred to a 24-hour clinic for further treatment.

While at that center, police said they were told there were no further treatments available, and the dog eventually died.

Police said the car’s heat alarm system did not work as it was supposed to.

“All Arnold Police Department K-9 vehicles are equipped with a system that notifies the handler by phone, activates the emergency lights and siren, sounds the vehicle horn, activates cooling fans, and rolls down the vehicle windows, if the vehicle temperature increases to a certain level. In this instance, the heat alarm system failed to activate,” the department said in a Facebook post .

The Arnold Police Department said it is investigating the incident to determine what went wrong.

“Please keep Vader’s handler, his family, and the members of the APD in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of our K-9 partner,” APD said.

Police did not identify Vader’s handler.