Holly MatkinHouston, TX – Houston Police Department (HPD) K9 Aron died in the line of duty on June 12 after his handler’s patrol vehicle shut off unexpectedly, causing him to suffer heat exhaustion.
The HPD said in a press release the following day that K9 Aron’s handler had left him inside their “running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is a necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work.”
The HDP officer later returned to the patrol unit and discovered the engine had shut off and his four-legged partner was in distress.
K9 Aron was rushed to a local emergency veterinarian clinic, but he ultimately succumbed to heat exhaustion, according to the HPD.
“HPD K-9 vehicles are equipped with a system that notifies the handler, sounds the horn, activates cooling fans, and rolls down the car windows, if for some reason the vehicle shuts down,” the police department noted. “This did not happen in this instance.”
The HPD said it is investigating the tragic situation to determine what mechanisms failed and how to prevent it from occurring in the future.
K9 Aron served the HPD for one-and-one-half years.
He worked as a bomb-sniffing K9 at Bush Airport, KHOU reported.
K9 Aron’s handler has 40 years of service as a law enforcement officer.
“Please keep Aron’s handler and the entire K-9 team in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Aron,” the HPD said.
The department held a memorial service for K9 Aron on June 16, KHOU reported.
HPD Chief Troy Finner said the department is working to support K9 Aron’s handler’s family in their grief.
“We’re standing as a family,” Chief Finner said, according to KHOU. “It’s a difficult time. I ask everyone to respect that.”
In memory of HPD K9 Aron.
End of Watch: June 12, 2023#Neverforget pic.twitter.com/v6tIiiUnD4
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) June 16, 2023
K9 Aron succumbed to heat exhaustion after the temperature monitoring alarm system failed while the patrol vehicle was idling.
K9 Aron was left in a patrol vehicle with the air conditioner running. All Houston Police Department K9 vehicles have an alarm system that activates… pic.twitter.com/tnDzJlED8T
— matthewjetthall (@matthewjetthall) June 18, 2023
Our thoughts are with @houstonpolice and the handler and friends of K-9 Aron, who succumbed to heat exhaustion after the temperature monitoring alarm system in the patrol vehicle failed. K-9 Aron served with the police department for one and a half years. #LODD #EOW #K9 @ATFHou pic.twitter.com/PK9qoct5q8
— ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) June 16, 2023
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Houston Police Department in the loss of K9 Aron.
Sandy Malone
