Police dog dies of heat exhaustion in cruiser
Philadelphia, PA (US)Incident Date: Friday, May 24, 2002
County: Philadelphia
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Joseph Arrison
Woodrow, the 5-year old German Shepherd police dog, was left in a police cruiser in temperatures about 80-85 degrees for more than four hours with the windows left up. Woodrow was found dead shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Woodrow was assigned to Officer Joseph Arrison when the incident occurred.
Arrison, 49, is a 28-year veteran who has been in the Canine Unit for fifteen years. He has been temporarily reassigned pending the results of an investigation by the Internal Affairs Division.
Captain Alan Kurtz commands both the Canine and Mounted Units said, "It's a tragic, tragic incident, and the officer is devastated."
Arrison has been deeply bothered by the loss of his dog, Woodrow. He was not available for comment on the incident.
Arrison of Northeast Philadelphia stopped at the Canine Unit headquarters at the Police Academy on State Road to drop off his cruiser and transfer Woodrow from his cruiser to his personal car when he drove home. The Canine Unit officers are permitted to take their partners home and receive a stipend from the city for their care. Arrison routinely took Woodrow home after work.
When Arrison came out of headquarters after completing some end of shift paperwork to drive home, he forgot about Woodrow leaving him inside the cruiser with the windows up. When Woodrow was spotted in the cruiser by another officer the temperature was reaching 80 degrees, on Friday the temperature rose to 85 degrees.
A necropsy showed that Woodrow died of heat exhaustion.
Charles Spencer, director of the Pennsylvania Society for Prevention of Cruely to Animals, said, "It only takes a short amount of time" and that warm weather and closed vehicles can be a recipe for tragedy.
The Canine Unit commander said Woodrow's death may spark changes in the unit. They are looking into possibility of installing heat sensors inside Canine Unit vehicles that would automatically drop the windows slightly, start a fan, and set off the vehicle's siren when the temperature becomes excessive while a dog is inside the cruiser.
The investigators said Arrison was stunned when he was contacted at home regarding the death of Woodrow. References« PA State Animal Cruelty Map
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