Cocoa Police K-9 Found Dead In Patrol Vehicle

[Satanica]

Hat tip @Sugar Cookie

COCOA, Fla. – A Cocoa Police Department K-9 named Zena was found dead in the back of her handler’s patrol vehicle Wednesday, according to the department.

Zena was discovered early Wednesday afternoon when her handler went to check on her during a training class in Melbourne, department officials said.

The department said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of death and if protocols were followed.

Zena joined the department in August 2020 and was a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois certified in April for patrol work, according to Cocoa police.
[....]

Cocoa police K-9 found dead in patrol vehicle

The department said an active investigation is underway to determine the cause of death.

www.clickorlando.com

 

[Freyja]

Poor princess! She was a beautiful dog and at age 2, she's just out of the puppy stage. So that is a young age for a large dog to pass away. Some large dogs, like Great Danes, have short life spans, but I don't think this breed does.

 

[Brillig]

If you can't leave an infant locked up in a hot car, then how would a dog be any different?

 

[LFODBiker]

You know what they say.
Injury to a police dog is the same as an assault on an officer...

 

[Sevens My Charm]

I am going to be pissed if it’s something like he forgot to turn on the a/c and park in the shady.. they’re still floppy, clumsy and playful at that age..

 

[ThemGems]

I really hope this was just a terrible mistake/accident. I’ve heard of some officers that don’t like (for whatever/unknown reason) their assigned dog, and they mistreat them. I’ve never seen it myself in person, and it could have totally been made up but this world really doesn’t leave much water in my cup nowadays

 

[Ramona the brave]

Ok but why tf would you ever leave ANY dog in a vehicle in Florida!? I get that people have solar AC and that's their choice, but the risk of it malfunctioning and killing my pet is too high for me. When tax dollars are paying for this animal, accountability should be accordingly higher.

 

[Sejanus]

Dont leave living things in hot vehicles!
It isn't hard to know.

 

[Satanica]

I intend to follow up and see what their "investigation" shows. Right now, though, it does appear the dog was left in the car. They're well trained, so, if he was just attending a class where you sit and listen the dog should've been fine going in and laying quietly by his chair. An officer should never be put in a position that would cause him/her to knowingly or unknowingly leave their K-9 in danger.

 

[Satanica]

An active investigation is underway to determine the cause of death and to see if department policies and procedures were followed.

K-9 Zena was donated to the city last August. She was a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois who was trained and newly certified in April for patrol work, police said.

Officials said a criminal investigation is underway because they said Zena died as a result of unexplained circumstances.

Investigators studied the Cocoa Police Department car on Thursday. They took pictures; they looked inside and out. Those investigators work for the Melbourne Police Department, which impounded the Cocoa car late Wednesday after Zena, the young female police dog, was found dead in the back of the car.

A call went out to 911: "Can you be en route to India-1, 3865 North Wickham, Eastern Florida State parking lot?"

The Cocoa car had been parked at the Eastern Florida State College Law Enforcement Academy in Melbourne.

The car was apparently there for some hours; the officer came to check on the dog at 1:30 p.m., during the heat of the day.

Whether it was heat that killed the dog is under investigation.

A police spokeswoman says the car is a fully equipped canine vehicle with all the appropriate safety features, such as ventilation and alarm systems. Whether those safety systems were working is under investigation.
[....]
Zena’s handler has been placed on paid leave. Members of the department are described as heartbroken over the dog’s death.

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