Wednesday, May 27, 2009

K-9 Dog Dies After Being Left Unattended in Car

The district attorney's office is set to decide Monday whether to file charges against an Alameda police K-9 officer whose dog died after he allegedly left it unattended while he was on duty.

The officer, who has not been named, was attending a training exercise May 5 when he left the animal unattended for about three hours and 15 minutes inside his personal vehicle, police said.

When the officer returned to the vehicle, which was in a parking lot in the 2200 block of Lincoln Avenue, he found the 6 1/2-year Belgian Malinois in "distress," Alameda police Lt. Bill Scott said.

The dog was brought to the Bay Area Veterinary Emergency Clinic San Leandro, where it died.

"It was a tragic accident," Scott said. "There was no intention on the officer's part for this to happen, whatsoever."

Investigators presented a possible criminal case on the animal's death to Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Charlotte Green on Wednesday morning.

Green is expected to announce Monday whether she plans to file charges, Scott said.

The officer is also currently the subject of an internal affairs investigation. He remains on duty, however, and has not been placed on administrative leave.

Along with not naming the officer, police declined to reveal how long he has served with the department.
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Information:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/27/BASS17S4TL.DTL

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