Houston Police Department Mourns Tragic Loss of K-9 Officer Aron to Heat Exhaustion

The Houston Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their K-9 officers, Aron, who died from heat exhaustion this week. Aron, a 4-year-old K-9 with 1.5 years of service at the department, was left in a running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle on Monday.

When the handler returned to the vehicle, the engine had shut off and Aron was in distress. The department believes that a secondary safety system failed, causing the engine to turn off unexpectedly.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement that the death of Aron was a “tragic accident,” and that leaving a police dog in its handler’s vehicle is a necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively working.

This is the second police dog to die this month after being left in an officer’s hot patrol car. The department is currently investigating the incident to determine the cause of the safety system failure.

The Houston Police Department is mourning the loss of Aron and has expressed its condolences to the handler and the K-9 unit. The department is also working to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.