(WHDH) — The Long Beach Police Department is mourning the loss of a beloved K9 that died after being left inside an officer’s hot cruiser earlier this month, officials said.
The K9, Ozzy, was found dead on Aug. 14 by his handler inside a department-issued cruiser, the police department announced on Facebook.
Police say Ozzy was in a special cruiser outfitted with failsafe equipment that is meant to generate an alert if a K9 is in danger and exposed to hot air.
“At this time, we believe this alert may not have been working,” the department said.
An examination later determined that Ozzy’s cause of death was heat-related.
Police say they are working to “assess the tragic accident and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Ozzy and his handler were both off-duty at the time of the incident.
Ozzy’s death remains under investigation.
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