Police dogs in hot cars; Scottsdale Police have heat activated alarm system

It's rare, but every now and then we hear about it; a police dog dying after being accidentally left in a hot car.

The Scottsdale Police Department's K9 unit says it has safeguards in place to keep that from happening.

The Scottsdale Police Department wants to ensure the public that their K9's are like family. And they have training in place to protect them out in the field, and systems in place, to protect the police dogs in the car.

Scottsdale K-9 partners train every single day. One of their most important jobs is to get the bad guy. And when they're not fighting crime, they spend the workday in the back of their k-9 vehicles.

"It's like their second home, they feel very safe in there," said Sgt. Chris Coffee.

But it's inside the car, where police dogs have seen some of the most danger, especially in the summer months. As the temperatures rise, a car with no air conditioning can be deadly.

"When we hear about these accidents our heart goes out, it's very sad, it's human error," said Sgt. Coffee.

For nearly 30 years, Scottsdale Police Department has used a heat activated alarm system in their K-9 vehicles. Sensors inside the car monitor the temperature if it reaches a certain level, it triggers an alarm, sirens go off, windows go down, and fans start up.