Cop should be charged with murder. If a suspect kills a police dog they get charged with killing a police officer. That police officer is trained to take care of that dog and knows the dangers of hot cars.

Pedro,

If they find that the dog died from being in a hot car, I'm with you! However, if they find that this is the case, I'm quite sure nobody will hear another word about it.

Not only would that be a case of negligence on the part of the cop but those dogs are quite expensive to train.

Agree,TexasZ,but if the cor screwed up or worse yet,some other cop turned the patrol car engine off,that person needs to be punished,I hope for a complete investigation,then punishment as deserved

Ordinary folks go to court and face a judge, How about the fool that left the critter in the hot car?

If it were Joe Citizen there would be instant jail time and a court hearing requiring you to prove your innocence. Different rules for Law Enforcement, it makes me sick when I read about dogs and kids dying in a hot oven car.

Maybe parade with a sandwich board with a message like "I left my partner of 7 years locked in our patrol car and he died as a result. He was just a dog" Just a screw up, but ordinary citizens have been punished for 'cruelty to animals' for doing the same thing to house pets. Children die every year from this, and the driver goes to jail.

@ sandtrich,
Exactly, there is the crime whether the dog died or made it through the event. The officer left his dog in the car!

Why are Law Enforcement Officers any different from any other IDIOT Citizen who could've done this? Seems that some of you want to give him a 'PASS' because of his status. What type of investigation could there be? The poor creature was left in the back of a Patrol Car on a HOT 95 degree day! You don't leave an animal or a kid in a locked car under any circumstances!

I've seen police leave dogs in their cars before with the engine on and the air condition going. The only problem is if the engine stalls for some reason, then so does the a/c. I'm not saying that's what happened in this case as we don't have all the facts, but leaving any animal in a car unmonitored for an extended amount of time is a problem whether the a/c is going or not.

Did officer Mathis forget if he left the car running? Can the onboard computers on police cars tell if the car was running or not. Before you start laughing, some cars record the rate of speed in the event of an accident. I'm sure we'd know if Harley was murdered by a civilian. I'm sure this is the last we'll hear about it. RIP Harley, thanks for your 7 years of service. They should give your pension to PETA.

I find it hard to see any way that this was not the officer's fault unless the dog was sick and they did not know it. He left the dog locked up in the car on a hot day and the dog died. This is just inexcusable. Not only is it cruel to the animal, these animals are highly trained and very valuable tools. It can easily cost six figures by the time they get done training one of these dogs for duty. In addition to killing the dog, the officer has cost the taxpayers a lot of money in the cost of training a replacement for the dog that died. If it turns out that there was nothing medically wrong with the dog and it died from the heat the officer should be thrown off the force and lose all benefits. He should also be charged with animal cruelty as well, since he of all people should have known better than to leave the dog locked in the car on a hot day. I just do not understand how anyone, particularly a police officer who is specially trained to work with dogs, could do something like this.

This just happened to a K-9 in Tucson and the officer responsible for the crime of leaving his partner in a hot car for almost two hours got off free of any charges, should have been charged like anyone else that kills a K-9, how can he be trusted to do his duty if he can't even remember his partner in a hot car?

The dog was a sworn officer. If the dog was found to have died from the negligence of his partner, the partner should be charged with manslaughter AND any enhancements of the charges available to law enforcement.

There is no excuse if this canine officer died from the negligence of Officer Brian Mathis. If guilty, he needs to be ostracized by the Des Moines community and fellow co-workers.

I'll bet he wasn't sick, you dreamer you!

Show a little compassion, people! I'm sure the officer who was partnered with this dog is devastated by the consequences of his (presumed) mistake. Piling on with comments about murder and how cruel the dog's death was is gratuitous, not to mention premature.

My dad accidentally ran over our cat once. Should I have never spoken to him again or had him charged with cat-slaughter?

You know, now that I think on it, he didn't seem all that upset....

Two thoughts come to mind IF the dog died because of being left in a car on a hot day:

1. How long must this officer have been gone and why????????

2. The officer needs to be held to a higher standard than the average citizen simply because of his status and training, specifically with respect to dogs. I doubt Harley would have forgotten the officer in his time of need.

Really lousy way to go Harley. You certainly deserved better.

AG99,

Was your cat a member of "the force"? I'm pretty sure if a citizen had anything to do with this unfortunate circumstance, it wouldn't matter what the dog died of. I just hope nobody is on camera even just walking close to the squad car. They'll be the next Most Wanted-Considered armed and dangerous and probably be shot on site multiple times, along with any innocent bystanders unlucky enough to be in the vicinity, without ever proclaiming their innocence, or proving innocence, and...Hey! Case solved! Cop killer down.

Officer down.

Your pretty cool AG, my Dad did the same thing and just said whoops.......

Temps inside a car without air conditioning on can reach 150-degrees very quickly, and the blood starts to boil. Never leave an animal or a child in a car unattended. Never. Never. Never. Never.

At least Mitt had his dog strapped to the roof in a pet carrier.

Wouldn't jump to conclusions. Still a sad story though and nobody wants to lose their buddy that way.

I left my dog in my air conditioned car while I had dinner with a friend. I had "vibe" and went out to check on her and the air conditioning had failed and I caught her in time and put ice/cold water on her stomach and she recovered. Needless to say, I never did that again.

Abby, you make a good point about the officer being held to a higher standard because of his training. There has to be accountability for a number of reasons. First, and probably most important, this was a negligent but unintentional act which resulted in a law enforcement officer losing his life. I do not believe the officer intentionally left Harley in the car, but should have known Harley was in the car even if he happened to be asleep in the back seat. It's inexcusable for an officer to simply lose track of his partner, human or canine.

Then there's the cost argument that some posts like to mention. There is a lot of time and money involved when training a narcotics dog; I'd venture to say that it's tougher for a dog to make the cut and become an officer than it is for a human. But time and money pale in comparison to trust and credibility. For a narcotics dog to work successfully with a fellow officer, the dog has to bond with and trust the officer; quite often the dog lives with the officer. It's a different dynamic than two human officers, who will probably tolerate each other even if they can't stand each other, because those two human officers only have to put up with each other for one shift per day then go their separate ways when they punch the timeclock. There's also the element of trust within the entire department. Mistakes will always happen, but no one wants to be the guy subject to the unintended consequences of someone's unintentional conduct. I can't make this point enough: the officer's actions were unintentional, but they caused unintentional consequences which resulted in the death of a narcotics dog and there needs to be some accountability.

On to credibility. A mistake of these proportions makes the entire department look bad. That means state and local government officials are going to want their say. The state police will most likely be asked to investigate. At least one outsider will most likely be brought in to review the program to determine if this was an isolated incident or a systemic problem coming home to roost. If federal money paid for the naroctics dog program, the feds may also want their own people to do an investigation. The end result is a department on pins and needles: nobody wants to be the next officer to make a really big mistake. When it gets to that point, it's almost impossible for the department to function the way it should.

The reason why I don't like jail time for these types of tragedies is because the overwhelming majority of them result from unintentional conduct, where the Monday morning quarterback in all of us says someone should have checked the back seat or trunk. The idiot who intentionally leaves persons or animals in the car then takes off to wherever they're going is a different story, but I don't want that to become a trade-off where a drug dealer gets let out so an idiot can be warehoused. That's why I'd like to see this particular breed of idiot sentenced to a work camp.

The fact of the matter is if any normal civilian causes a police K-9 dog harm, they are treated as if they hurt an actual human police officer. If the law calls for every day citizens to be charged in that manor, the same should go with the police.

However this will not be the case. It will be another lovely case of our corrupt law enforcement agencies. I agree that this will probably be the last we hear from it.

Oh and instead of being thrown in the big house for accused murder of a police officer, the po po responsible in this situation is probably on paid administrative leave for a "vacation he had already planned much earlier in the year."

ok what you have to understand is there are differnt standards for nornal citizens and goverment employees/ union members as a citizen you are screwed, as a govt employee promotion extra pay. better retirement and a pat on the back

charge the cop ,just like a everyday citizen would be ,police are "public servants" not gods ,hold them up to the same standards and laws that we must follow

screw the government they make the rules for them selves change is comming do not renig

WOW are you all ready to jump to conclusions. There is NOTHING in the article that indicates that the dog died from being overheated in the car, only SPECULATION.

My father had a police K9 for years (in Iowa), and he often had to leave it in the car when he stepped outside it, for a variety of reasons. No, never while he was gone for an extended period (and almost never when the car wasn't in his direct line of sight). There is SO MUCH MORE that goes into handling a dog like this than you know, so it's not like taking any other dog along with you when you run errands.

Sadly, my father's dog died suddenly from an illness no one knew he had (not while in the car, though). The officer that got the K9 that ultimately replaced my father's just died recently from a completely different but also sudden illness (also not in a car). This happens, especially to service dogs and large breeds. My father was brokenhearted when his partner died, and decided that he didn't want to continue to be a K9 officer because of that.

After 7 years, this dog would have been the man's right hand - there is no way he would 'forget' the dog in the car, so unless something serious happened in the time that the officer was outside the car that he could not return, and then also there was a failure with the vehicle that shut off the A/C, I'm skeptical the dog died from heat exhaustion.

If he did, I agree that the officer should be held responsible just like anyone else (though I'd like to point out that many of you are way off saying that a civilian would be charged with murder for this same situation). I don't have any problem with that.

However, I do have a problem with assuming right off the bat that we know the facts, when we don't.

A dangerous job working in close proximity to criminals and @!$%#in' idiots.

I thought you never left your partner behind.

danny:

The guy that wrote OFFICER DOWN wins the best comment Ive read in a long time. Funny as H@ll I actually laughed out loud.

Can you explain what is so funny about a dog dying a horrific death?

Then there is that thing about the investigation to find the facts and weather or not there is guilt, these are cops investigating a cop, the investigation to figure out weather or not the engine was running and the air conditioning was on or were the windows open will take months or at least till the public forgets about the dog and the case gets overlooked. then again dogs do die he may have just fell over dead, till they find out I suggest they put the cop in the back of a squad car and leave him their till he remembers if the car was running or not or was the AC on. park it in the sun so he can think clearly, leave the windows up and the engine off, he will remember before the day is over. fine him $11,000.00 for the dog and give him 2 years for cruelty. that was easy. next!

Maybe the dog overdosed. This isn't a joke...it was a drug detection dog.

If I had done this, I would be in jail and all of the details would be public already.

it's quit simple, You Never Leave Your Pet in a Car. Just Like the DUMB @!$%# PARENTS, THIS IS A DUMB @!$%# OFFICER. Pretty simple isn't it..

I'm hoping the dog died of natural causes and everyone can stop assuming anyone was too blame. Poor puppy...he looked so cute~!

Most people would not report a deceased animal, and no law says they have to this is different when the dog has a job and all of a sudden he is not there, some how a explanation is in order, lets wait for the facts. sorry about the dog.

The comments just keep getting dumber.

NO, anyone else wouldn't be charged with "murder" for killing a police dog, especially without INTENT. Negligent homicide? Maybe.

NO, they wouldn't already have "released all of the information and put you in jail" if you had done this to your dog. The nearby town of Urbandale, Iowa had a case in JUNE of a dog dying after left outside with no water all day in high heat, and the owner was just arraigned LAST WEEK.

NO, the dog wasn't a "pet" left in a car, it was a service animal left in a vehicle engineered for the purpose of transporting and protecting him.

And again, YOU DON'T KNOW why the dog died!

This makes me sick. It is animal abuse pure and simple. No thinking person would leave a dog in a car in this kind of weather no matter what the circumstances ever. Poor baby.

I hope they take the time to do an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death...and then treat it like any person in a case of homocide or neglect. If I left my dog in a hot car and he died...I would be facing criminal charges for neglect or animal cruelty. If I trapped a cop in my car and s/he died...I would be facing murder of a civil officer charges...this dog was a cop...charges should be considered based on that! DEATH PENALTY!

Even if the air conditioner was running it is possible that Harley overheated. A friend who was a dog handler told me that dogs are very susceptible to heat. That is why unlike regular police cruisers the K-9 unit cars and SUV's have extremely dark tinted windows. This reduces heat gain. It is possible Harley died of heat stroke without the officer being negligent.

Harley is in heavennow. And the cop should be fired and charged just like anyone would for killing a police officer.The mayor should step up and put him on desk duty.The more people we complain and see on tv then things will happen? I love all animals

No AG99 the point is if some one kills one of these pieces of @!$%# they get charged with murder. They have these stupid laws to keep people from defending themselves when they turn these animals loose on them. They are not officers. They can not swear on oath,promise to protect and serve,testify or anything else. All they can do is attack and bite. they even bite other officers. If the average person is charged with a crime over these damn things so should the cop. One less fuzz dog.

Charge the officer with any and all legal charges possible- IF an autopsy on the dog states the cause of death as heat related! There is no excuse for this, and I also do not like the official statement:

Officials said Mathis had no history of handling the dog poorly, according to the Register, and Des Moines police have eight other K-9s.

...Never happened before, and besides, there are other DOGS in the K-9 division, (so no major loss?)...

We need to be the voice for those who can't speak. You never leave a "pet" in a hot car! The fact that this dog was an "officer" and worked to protect & serve for 7 years makes him a valuable member of the police force. Unless officer Mathis was called away for a serious situation where he had to leave his "partner" behind Mathis should be charged with murder! Harley went through vigorous training to be a valuable member of the police force. Unfortunantly our laws don't protect animals. Animal abusers don't get the punishment they deserve! I'm reading all these comments about "we don't know all the facts". We do know a member of the police force has died. Mathis should have never left his "partner"! If Mathis had been looking after the welfare of his partner Harley, he would have been able to administer CPR. (if his death was from something else) I'm sure Mathis wont suffer any consequences. That is what makes the death of Harley so horrific! I'm outraged that an officer who spent 7 years with his "service dog/ police dog" could allow anything to happen to a partner that was always there for him. I hope that Mathis is demoted and never gets to work with a police dog again! But , I know that no matter what the circumstance, Mathis will get little more than a slap on the wrist. That's why we need to change the laws! If you should be out and see a dog locked in a car don't walk by thinking someone else will help.... If you see your neighbor abusing his pet... PLEASE ... SPEAK OUT! SPEAK UP! HELP !!! YOU BE THE CHANGE IN THE WORLD!! ( Looking for a furry friend? Don't Shop! Adopt! )

For everybody trying to find sympothy on the cops behalf look between syphalis and @!$%# in the dictionary. I have none for the cop. My heart goes out to the people in the community that have lost one of the better officers (the dog) that exsist now days. Im from Clatskanie oregon where we had a cop on duty in uniform breaking into houses and stealing pain meds, he did less than 4 months and now he makes better money than most of my friends, with that said lets make sure justice is done for Harley. Stick together and it will happen. Ill be voicing my opinion strongly to the department. Thanks everybody and remember its called common sence not uncommon sence so keep it in mind.

My heart goes out to the dog that had a "cruel & unneccesary" death and am very saddened. I am sickened for the fact that the "Officials" could not tell us if the air condisioner was on or not or if the windows were open. We now cannot trust their possibly "Tainted" Conclusion as the majority will not believe their conclussion if that Officer is not punished the same as any civilian would be for killing a Police dog, also if true, that the Officials would damage the whole Department's reputation over one Officer's derilection of duty as Air condisioner on or off, windows open or not is still no excuss - It IS his responsbility. We would be charged and found Guilty if that happened to one of our kids in our car. You might want to consider that when you handle that case from a month or so, When you had that happen there. If that case went to trial already, you might want to schedule a re-trail ASAP!

Please forgive me for any misspellings, the spellcheck feature DOES NOT give me the post option to continue and does not spellckeck. This was my first two posts, I cannot fall for it again. Sorry!

For all those who question if the windows were open or not.... Go sit in a parked car in 90 degree plus heat. Even if the car was parked in shade and the windows were open. The car would get to such high temps that a dog or human would get heat stroke and pass out ... and die. I'm sure Harley was left without water as well! If the a/c was on don't you think Mathis would be shouting that out for all to hear? It's clear that the police department wants to sweep this under the rug! I want justice for Harley!!! Speak out!! Harley spent his life training and working for the police department. Mathis is guilty of neglect, and that lead to the death of officer Harley! Demand justice for Harley!

This pig should be taken off the force and be charged with a crime.

Nobody feels worst than the officer who has teamed with the dog for 7 years.

You people, you don't even know for sure what happened and you want to charge a police officer with murder over a dog. You are the type of people that I hope the police are late in arriving to help when you need them desperately.

Some dog owners are extremely irritating when it comes to getting into eveyone's business without knowing the full story. Last winter, I took my dogs with me to go out for dinner. Like I have so many times, I left the dogs in the car with the windows slightly crack for air. It was about 35 degrees outside. Most dog owners know that dogs love cool or even cold weather. What they hate and cannot tolerate is heat. Anyway, when I came out an hour later, someone had left a nasty note on my windshield. It read "How dare you leave your dogs out in the cold while you sit inside in the warm restaurant and eat. I hope you choke on your food. F_ck you!!"

@ TexasZ maybe you are right that we shouldn't jump to conclusions on this, but that would also mean that if someone who wasn't a police officer was charged with something, you wouldn't be able to make the assumption of guilt on their part. We as a nation say innocent before being proven guilty, but that only seems to apply to police when police apologists are defending them.

The dog was a Police Officer, there was no reason to leave him in the car to begin with. The dog can go anywhere a normal cop can go. K9 units around here get the dog out all the time. What good is a partner locked in a car it can not get out of?

We will never know the whole truth about it, because the only one that knew for sure is dead.

Next they will tell us that they found some rare condition that caused the dog to die. And that the heat had only post effects. Remember, the guy that will cut up the dog to find out why it died is on the same team as the guy that left it in the car.

how cars don't kill dogs, dumb azz cops do...

Pedro Sanchez-2919871

Cop should be charged with murder. If a suspect kills a police dog they get charged with killing a police officer. That police officer is trained to take care of that dog and knows the dangers of hot cars.

I agree with you 100% Pedro, but the cops have their special privileges and get away with not just killing this dog Harley, but people as well.

RIP Harley, and I hope this officer is sentenced like the man years ago that shot a police dog and sentenced for murdering a fellow/team police officer.

Okicize, I'm pretty sure the DMPD drug dogs only sniff out narcotics, they're not trained to apprehend suspects. At least that's the way it was a few years ago. There was a big write up about one of the narcotics officers and his dog in the newspaper and the police had stopped using aggressive dogs for drug enforcement. I only remember this because I went to school and went hunting with the officer in the old story before I moved away from the area. Either way it was a bad way for the dog to die.

I would feel bad too if i left my dog in the car but i would be also crusified its always a different set of rules, funny how everyone has to be held accountable except for them and they are so zelous to get anyone

its time for vehicle manufactureres to be forced to make vehicles if a child, dog ,or person is left in the vehicle when parked for more than 1 minute the windows would automatically open.(get these detectors in these vehicles now).its time for babies and animals to stop dying for brainless negligent people got their mind on too much junk.(probably got involved on a stupid cell phone).poor harleys in heaven God love him.how can officers or anyone else be so thoughtless.

To start with, I think that it is simply despicable to involve innocent animals in the evils that humans engage in, whether its a police K-9 drug dog or a military K-9 war dog. The truth is that THEY don't ever have a choice about participation in fighting crime or national enemies. They're simply drafted and then their connection to their human handlers, their affection, is manipulated. I feel for the poor dog stuck with that officer. The rule foisted onto EVERYBODY is that you don't EVER leave children, the elderly/disabled, or pets in cars on hot days- PERIOD! Cops are NOT an exception.

Damn shame...Stick that fat cop in the car and let him sweat it out...

You don't even know what the dog died from and yet you already want to hang the officer.

The dog died from heat exposure, that has already been established. The dog was unable to open the doors for itself (its that old "opposible thumbs Problem"), for that - he could only rely on the responsibility of his human officer. Matter of fact, even if the dog felt he was under threat of death, it is highly unlikely that he could or would break his training and try to save himself. He was left in the car and his training said that's where it needed to be.

No other officer, civilian or even ASPCA had any right to intercede - even if they saw and determined the dog was in distress. That's the problem, only his partner was legally authorised to release him from that vehicle.

The state spends a lotof money to acquire those dogs.A lot of people spend a great deal of their lives to turn out a fully trained police dog, years of breeding enhance those skills which contribute to their effectiveness.

All lost through the thoughtless stupidity of the one person the dog was allowed to fully trust. Its not just pitiful, it is criminal.

He should not be allowed to handle another dog in his police career. That is a reasonable punishment.

Whenever a cop does something this stupid, he is backed up with all the talk of his value to the force, a citizen who makes an honest mistake feel any .less remorse... just like this cop, they are cruicified and jailed......ya think the adult responsible for leaving a child in a car has to live to higher standards than the gestapo cops who in some cases get away with murder......like the kid shooting himself in Arkansas while handcuffed behind his back in a police car and after two searches for a weapon, but the cops found the little packet of "probable cause" dope on him a citizen shoots an intruder, there is a grand jury conveined to see if he "ordinary" unhighly trained citizen exercised proper restraint....ya see where I am going with this? yeah, it is just a dog, but this cop better be thrown in jail, just like the ordinary citizen....if not, we are a nation of the guestapo ruling its citizens...."heil" Hitler

I agree with dogs being used for using their fantastic sniffers for locating drugs, bomb-making material, etc., but I draw the line at cowards who would sic an animal on anyone. The trained and loyal animal will do what it is told and put itself in harm's way and when hurt or killed, be played up like a real human.

What does that say on the side of most cop cars...."To protect AND serve" what a joke!!!

I never did understand putting babies or animals in the care of men...... God knew better........ The dogs are just slaves in the hands of idiots in most cases. Harley deserved far better.

how do you forget you left a dog, a dog you have done the same get up go to work routine with for 7 years , a dog worth more than some homes in a car. i tend to know where i put 6 figures. the only way i can see this being excused is if the officer responded to call, and the call took an unusual amount of time. then him either thinking he left the cruiser on to cool the dog or the battery died while he was responding. other than that one narrow circumstance what was he doing, getting drunk on duty?

The officer will get off scott free, they always do. When will you people realize that laws are just for us common folk. Police cover their own, except in this case and in this case they will rationalize it was just a dog and make up some excuse and the officer will go away unpunished and the crime will be swept away under a rug. The media sure as @!$%# won't follow up on it until there is a punishment. After all this officer get's the department free money from all of his "drug busts". It's a windfall for the departments. So RIP bosco your owner/handler just f----ed you with the high hard one. The police are almost never responsibile for their actions or are convicted of any wrong doing. It's the system!

Beoweolf:

The dog died from heat exposure, that has already been established.

No it hasn't. There is, of course, that suspicion considering the circumstances. However, the necropsy has obviously not been done yet, and we don't even know if the A/C was on or how long the dog was in the car.

There are many, many other possible explanations for the dog's passing, and it makes perfect sense to me that if this officer took care of the dog properly for SEVEN YEARS, we can can wait until all the evidence is out before we accuse him of causing his partner's death.

The dog died from heat exposure, that has already been established.

When was that established? The story does not give any facts about how the dog died. I'm glad most of you all are not in Law Enforcement, because I would hate to be wrongly accused of something and have each of you jump to conclusions. Wait until the facts come out, and then we can judge the officer. He may be at fault, but then again, he may not. I've been around many K-9s and their handlers, and it is common practice to leave them in the vehicle while doing other tasks. As RedBull Wife stated, these vehicles are designed to house the animals for long periods of time. It is very common for a handler to leave the dog in the vehicle with it running. I guess everyone is entitled to their own conclusions about this, but I think I'll wait until the investigation is over (just like any accused person would appreciate).

You people are unbelievable. These dogs sit in cars all the time. A 7 year old lab may have died of a lot of things. Why don't you all wait until the facts are known? Too busy raging against a perceived wrong to think anymore? I had a 5 year old German Shepard that died of heart failure. He was by all appearances a healthy dog, the vet said he was born with the condition. So, how do you know this isn't the case? YOU DON'T is the correct answer.

Had it been John Q. Public's dog on any street U.S.A. and it croaked, it would not make the news. They would take Fido home, bury him in the back yard and toddle off to the shelter, pick out another, pay the money and enjoy. Some of you are probably among the 82 people calling the guy who feel to his death in the Georgia Dome names. Get a life, Get a job, get a friend, Get a dog,, but, try doing something a little more constructive, why don't you?

And to all the medical genius' out their, they aren't autopsy's on animals, it's called a Necropsy.

RedBullWife:

...and it makes perfect sense to me that if this officer took care of the dog properly for SEVEN YEARS,

Hearsay from one of their own, a fellow cop. What else did you expect him to say? Who really knows how well this dog was taken care of in those seven years, unless of course, you were there to witness. or have testimony from other more neutral witnesses. If the dog died from the heat, it makes you wonder how many other times was he left in a hot car and didn't die.

It's very easy to make assumptions without having all the facts, isn't it? Just because a cop says something doesn't make it fact.

Debi;

Just because a cop says it, doesn't make it untrue, either. So, until the facts are in, it's all hearsay.

It was a dog, 50,000 people will die around the world before sun set for no reason at all. Where's you peoples outrage about that? You all give $25 a year to green peace, Asfam, Unicef, and think you're changing the world? Yet, you all call for a mans death because of a dog? Wow, misplaced priorities or what?

Nicodemus1946:

If you had read RedBullWife's previous comments, you would understand my post. She is preaching not to make assumptions until the facts are in, while she herself is taking part in making assumptions.

As the judge will tell a jury, law enforcement's testimony is not to be given any special weight. Thus my statement "Just because a cop says something doesn't make it fact".

We all have our own priorities; mine just happen to be animals.

I know many K9 officers. They spend more time with their partner then they do with their family. I don't think he could have ever intentionally put his partner in danger. I know this officer has got to be hurting from this. If he is at fault I think they should throw the book at him.

Really;

So if people disappeared tomorrow, what would become of all the genetically helpless breeds with no survival skills? They would die in short order. Animals would starve by the thousands in the unattended zoos, aquariums, and other exhibits. You see, or clearly don't, without people who care for these domesticated genetic aberrations they have NO future. Without people all the animals in exhibits starve to death. Dogs can not survive on their own as they lack the instinctive skills to do so. Domestic cats being, in most cases, are the exception, they are not so genetically altered as to become helpless. So keep your priorities, as skewed as they may be. Just remember without you Fido, Fluffy, whatever, dies a slow lingering death of starvation or a quicker one of predation. That's the thing about priorities based on a given perspective. All too often they depend entirely upon YOU, No you and they fall apart and all those animals you profess to care about are the ones that suffer. Think about it.

Harley is a partner would and did give his live for him. Not in the way it was suppose to be, He should have made sure his buddy was in a cool place the air was on. He should have been number one before he thought of his self. A crime has happen and it needs to be delt with a cop lost his life from being in a hot car and not being able to get out. I see no difference than a child or a older person who could not get out. Reat In Peace Harley you will be missed. Give this cop a real human to ride with him from no on.

A case of negligent doggycide by Officer Brian Mathis, he should be taken to the doghouse for further questioning...

As for SGT. Harley, rest in peace...woof

Pedro Sanchez-2919871

Cop should be charged with murder. If a suspect kills a police dog they get charged with killing a police officer. That police officer is trained to take care of that dog and knows the dangers of hot cars.

This is ridiculous, it's an animal for pete sake! This also had nothing to do with chasing down a suspect or any other situation like that.

Too bad the dog died, maybe it was his time...who knows.

Too many people think that pets or animals are human, they are not, they are animals, domesticated and trained, take the domestication away and they return to their natural feral state.

Nicodemus:

Obviously you have a problem with my choice of priorities. To each his own. I can only base my choice on what I know and have experienced; animals have never gone to war for idiotic political, greed or religious reasons, forcing my brothers to go to Vietnam and lose their lives; animals have never stolen my ID and taken money from my bank account; and animals don't discriminate based on color, religion or your state of health. All they require is food, shelter and a little lovin' and they are loyal for life.

Yes, if humans were gone, some animals would die because of it, just as animals die even though humans are here and BECAUSE humans are here. (Please refer to the article above.) Such is the cycle of life.

Evidently the dog wasn't a puppy-- he had been on the force for 7 years. As can happen with humans, he could have had a heart attack. It is possible to walk out of the doctor's office and have a heart attack right there.

Who will they charge if it is proved he died of a heart attack? In that event, do they charge God because of a heart attack?

"Had it been John Q. Public's dog on any street U.S.A. and it croaked,..." Johnny would be in the slammer on his way to the Michael Vick Canine Appreciation Academy.

Most is very true, However Dogs have been going to war for whatever reason with armies dating back to the Spartans. Dogs do discriminate based on race. Dogs raised with with every ethnic variation identify with them and tend to be aggressive to those of others. For example, since my Rottweiler does not see blacks or Hispanics living out in the country, I notice she tends to be more aggressive toward them when she does. I can't speak to the circumstances of your brothers (biological or philosophical) going to Vietnam, you know only what was told to you, true, false or contrived, What's your point? That all who went to Vietnam are victim of some grand conspiracy? Please, I was there.

The fact remains, without people to care them dogs have no future. Animals and human are comparing apples and oranges. The facts of this one dogs death are not certain, you are operating on media sensation and incomplete information. The normal mind assumes nothing and finds the facts. The reactionary mind calls for a mans death because one dog MIGHT have died due to something he may or may not have done or not done.

Humans on the other hand do steal, lie, misuse, abuse, it is in the human nature to do so, Politicians are the most flamboyant example. So what else is new? However, If you look at human history in a factual way, you will find the humans by their very nature and physiology are the most successful predator to ever walk the earth. It may not be pretty but it is factual.

Physiology and history aside, I'm sorry one as young as you seem has become so jaded and cynical of there fellows. I on the other hand, see the vast good people also do and seek to forward that end. It's a pity you choose not to.

::sigh:: No one understands the situation, even if the dog WAS left in the car. Many times officers are not allowed to just automatically take their dogs out of the car on a call, and when the severity of the call prevents them from being able to make it back to their vehicles for their dogs, a significant amount of time sometimes goes by that can't be helped. That's why they leave their cars running like they do for their K-9s. And this leads me to answer texastornado55 (#1.67). If it's any comfort to you, some departments DO have that very thing. I know here they have sensors and alarms that will go off both on the vehicle and a little unit the officer is wearing to indicate the temperature inside the vehicle has reached a certain degree, and at that level, if no one responds quickly, the doors automatically release to let the dog out.

Cheetah;

I doubt that very much. They would come back to find Fido dead, drive home and bury them in the backyard, no news sensation, no cops, no nothing. If that were the case everyone who hits a dog with their cars would go to jail. At most they pay a fine and go on about their business. Clearly, your another of the mindless wonders who would seek the death penalty for them.

Sorry, life in the real world doesn't involve people going to jail because a dog dies. In most cases, you would never hear about it. Only because this was a public service animal are you hearing about it now.

These dogs ARE considered officers of the law, law enforcement tools etc.. A civillian kills or injures one of these law enforcement dogS they are charged with the SAME crime as killing/injury a human police officer. We all KNOW what will or at least can happen when we leave small children or pets in a hot car. IF it was 95 outside the human officer knows better than anyone it could have been up to 115 degrees maybe even more INSIDE that car. DOGS CAN NOT SWEAT LIKE HUMANS!!!! tHEY ONLY SWEAT THRU THEIR PAWS!!! THEY MUST HAVE WATER TO STAY ALIVE IN THE HEAT!!!!!! This dog ws realitively young. Being a law dog they get frequent medical check ups. The chances that ANYTHING OTHER THAN HEAT killed this dog are very slim to none!!!!! Yeah ,wait for an autopsy before final charges are decided on but in the meantime the HUMAN needs to be suspended without pay and charge with assault and neglect at the least!!!!! Laaw officers SHOULD BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD incases like this. BUT, they normally aren't and I expect this is the last we will hear of this story!!!

Just a couple months ago there was a story about a couple one being a police officer, who left 2 very young children sleeping in their car. The article stated the parents were "nearby" but did NOT identify which of the parents was the police officer. This police officer left his/her loaded GUN in the car with these sleeping kids. The youngest woke up, found the gun and shot and killed his/her sibling while the parents and "officer" were "NEARBY!!!"??????!! There was NO follow up whatsoever on that story!!! POlice officers get away with stupid, irresponsible, neglecftful and some times down right criminal actions ALL THE TIME!!!!

This Officer needs to face some serious consequences!!!!!! IF he's stupid enough to fail to protect his partner and let him die then I for one don't want him on duty to "protect and serve" in my community!!!!!!!! IF there was something going on that he couldn't get back to the car to take car of this dog he should have called for back-up. MOre than likely he was in some resturant pigging out!

Pedro

While you are correct that if a Police Dog or Horse from a Mounted Unit are "intentionally caused harm which results in subsequent death" the perpetrator can be charged with 2nd murder. But only if in the act of aggression toward the animal performing it's duty along with law enforcement.

In this case, Officer Mathis, if it is found after autopsy of the dog, that his negligence led to the dog suffering heat stoke and subsequently died from being left in the patrol car, he will face Felony animal cruelty charges and can spend 2 years in jail. So....this officer faces a felony charge, time in jail, monetary fines and law suits from the City of Des Moines for the cost of the dog, he will loose his job, retirement pension, and be an outcast for what happened in the department.

What happened to poor Harley was horrible and officer Mathis is going to pay an extremely high price for his negligence (if is is proven he was at fault) and carry that burden with him the rest of his life. We had a canine officer in our department who lives out toward an inland community away from the beach city I work in, one day, when temperatures reached over 100 degrees, his canine partner died of heat stroke. The city determined that if his dog had proper shelter that day and cooling measures for that shelter on his property, the dog would not have died. He lost everything....he became an outcast at the department, fired from his job, lost his pension, sued by the city, and now last any one heart of him...he picks up trash at a near-by water park.

This is tragic all the way around.

Skrewedworld;

So many capitals and so little factual information,,,,,, typical. How fortunate for all of us you are perfect. As for police getting away with everything, really? A swat ream was caught in a sting stealing money and property from a drug bust, set up for just that purpose. ALL five lost their jobs,and are going to federal trial and if convicted they will get 15 years in federal prison. So much for the "get anyway with anything" theory. The real world is so much different than the perception through a haze of bong smoke.

P.S. Dogs control body temp by panting. As do many animals, not just dogs. Watch the animals in the world around you even bird do a form of panting in heat weather. Get out of the cellar a bit more and see the animals and their behavior in hot weather.

LorraineH: Thanks for your reasonable post.

And Nicodemus: I'm not sure where to even begin with your sense of logic.

However, If you look at human history in a factual way, you will find the humans by their very nature and physiology are the most successful predator to ever walk the earth. It may not be pretty but it is factual.

It all depends on how you view success. One bacteria could wipe the human race out. Animals have been around and survived alot longer than humans, and that is factual.

The facts of this one dogs death are not certain, you are operating on media sensation and incomplete information.

It's not the media, but the investigators who reported and quoted: "A Des Moines police dog died after being left inside a patrol vehicle on a hot day, according to investigators."

Wow, what color is your world?

HOW can a cop leave his dog in a car in 95 degree heat? If this guy is that stupid, he shouldn't be a cop.

For all those who didn't think that the dog's death was from the heat, please learn how to read. That fact was established in the first sentence of this article.

Debi;

Where to begin with me? I see the world for what it is, not some Polly Anna view of what it should be. You apparently think nature is a utopian place where the animals live in complete harmony, is that it? Nothing could be further from the truth and you know it, even if you won't admit it.

Again only partially true. Sure a bacteria can kill all the animals as well. A non point. But then, so could a virus. "Success" is gauged by humans surviving in the face of overwhelming odds of climate and animals much better equipped for the job. Had we not had the over riding power of independent logic and thought, Humans would be a footnote in earth history. In your view, that would probably be best, but, it would include you. Fear not, 97% of ALL life that has ever existed on this rock has gone extinct. Our turn will come soon enough. Nature seems to have a sense of humor that way. If you don't believe me, check it yourself. It's like climate change, if you check the fossil record, it's all happened many, many time before and guess what?, humans weren't even around for most of it AND it will happen again, and again and again.

One dog dies under mysterious circumstances and you people get you nickers all in a twist. Like a said before, 50,000 people will be killed in this world before sun down and you get all upset over a dog. And you say my world is screwed up???,,,,, Now who has perception problems.

Head lines are done by reporters, not investigators. So the sensational headline, purposely designed in enrage the masses, are the work of biased, very partial and lying media hacks. Your must be a odd existence, so easily lead or mislead as the case may be, by those who seek nothing beyond dis-information and leading the sheep to a predetermined conclusion. Regardless of the glaringly obvious lack of information, the sheep Baa in unison to the song of the pipers. Clearly, some humans are losing the gift of thought and independent logic.

Susie-2759697, I had a dog years ago. Everything was fine in the morning but when I returned home after work he was peacefully lying dead in his favorite spot. I took him to the vet for disposal because he was a large Dobe and I wasn't going to dig that big of a whole. I told the vet what happened and he said that dogs do not have heart attacks like humans do. They are suceptable to strokes at a greater rate than humans. I don't know if that's true but a vet said it so I'll take his word on it. 3 dogs later I witnessed another dobe of mine have a stroke and drop dead right in front of me. But in this case the dog died because the officer neglected it. He should at least have to pay for a replacement dog as trained police dogs are very expensive. He should also get what ever punishment that any civilian would get for doing the same thing.

Just Wrong

....... please learn how to read. That fact was established in the first sentence of this article.

The article states: "Officials in Iowa are investigating the cause of death of a police dog that was left in a Patrol car on a hot Wednesday afternoon". Investigating and establishing a cause are completely different. Facts are that the officer left the dog in a car on a hot day. The dog died, another fact. Was the Police officer responsible for the care, control, and safety of the animal....yes. Those are facts. You are right in saying, if there was no open caged windows (which the article does not say), if the air conditioner was not left on in the unit (which the article does not say) then this guy is that stupid. And every other pet owner who does it is also that stupid. And every parent who leaves their child in a hot car is that stupid. One thing about stupidity....it runs ramped and knows no economic or professional boundaries.

But the article did not establish that fact in the first sentence....maybe you should read it again.

LorraineH: It's interesting, the headline of a law enforcement blog, PoliceLink, states:

"Des Moines police dog dies, abandoned in officer's vehicle"

An Iowa station, KCCI, the quote from investigators appears more definitive: "A Des Moines police dog died after being left inside a patrol vehicle on a hot day, according to investigators."

Hopefully, the truth will come out.

Protect and serve are out the window now its nail everone except the ones that are enforceing the law who most of the time get away with murder makes no sense if this dog was killed by anyone else they wouold be rotting in jail, funny thing is the public pays taxes which pay the wages to be bullied and even murdered

From the DesMoinesRegister.com:

"Des Moines police will conduct an internal inquiry into the death of a police dog left inside a hot car this week but said they won’t open a criminal investigation unless something in the internal review indicates it is necessary.

Harley, a 7-year-old yellow Labrador retriever paired with Officer Brian Mathis on the vice and narcotics unit, died Wednesday afternoon inside an unmarked vehicle parked by the police station, police said.

A necropsy, or animal autopsy, has not yet been performed and officials aren’t saying for certain how the dog died, though they said it was likely heat-related. Temperatures reached 96 degrees Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. When it’s that warm, temperatures inside a sealed vehicle can reach 149 degrees in 30 minutes or less, studies have shown.

Police said Mathis had intended to bring the animal to the police station to keep it out of the sun but had gotten distracted and apparently forgot the dog was in the car.

Mathis was working on a vice investigation Wednesday afternoon, but grew concerned the case would drag on and, not wanting to leave Harley in his car, drove back to the police station to drop off the dog.

Once there, Mathis took what he thought would be a minute-long phone call and went into his office to check on something, police said.

The phone call dragged — though police have not said for how long — with Harley still in the car.

When another officer accidentally kicked Harley’s food bowl in the office, Mathis apparently was jolted away from the conversation.

He ran out to the car, but Harley had already died, police said.

Officials haven’t revealed whether air conditioning was on in the car or whether windows were rolled down.

“What we know is that when he came back to the car, his partner of seven years had died,” Des Moines Police Sgt. Chris Scott said.

A dog’s normal body temperature is between 101 to 102.5 degrees, according to the website RedRover.com. A dog can only withstand a high body temperature for a short time before suffering nerve damage, heart problems, liver damage, brain damage or even death.

No database is kept on police dog deaths from overheating in vehicles in the U.S.; however, some experts put the number from five to 15 each year.

In late July, a sheriff’s deputy who works in the San Antonio, Texas, area was placed on administrative leave after the two police dogs he cared for were left in a sweltering vehicle overnight, according to Associated Press news accounts. The dogs died.

Des Moines police did not have information about how much their police dogs cost. Nationally, each dog costs between $2,000 and $4,000 without training.

Des Moines patrol cars specifically assigned to K-9 units are equipped with safety features for the dogs. Mathis was driving an unmarked car on Wednesday. Scott said he didn’t know if there were any special features on it and, if there were, whether they were working properly.

Harley was a familiar face around the department, where he wandered around the narcotics office and visited the rest of the station with Mathis, employees said.

Officials said Harley often worked at the airport or with post offices and has helped generate numerous state and federal charges.

Mathis had no history of handling the dog poorly, officials said. He took Harley home with him each evening and officials said he took good care of the dog.

Des Moines police now have eight K-9s. Five are patrol dogs capable of sniffing for drugs — Harley’s primary responsibility — but Harley was the only one specifically assigned to the vice and narcotics unit.

While K-9s have been injured before, this is the first on-duty death for a dog with the department.

For now, the incident is being investigated internally and no criminal charges are pending, officials said.

Russ Hess, the executive director of the Ohio-based U.S. Police Canine Association, said his organization works to remind officers of the dangers of heat for animals.

“We, as an association, try to keep that in the foremost of handlers’ minds by constantly reminding them they need to pay particular attention to the animal in a car in hot weather, even if the air conditioning is going,” Hess said.

He promoted training, education and various safety tools to prevent such incidents. But he also acknowledged, “With the work we do, it’s unpredictable. Depending on the incident you respond to, there are different circumstances.”

It was unclear Friday what kind of written policy Des Moines police had for handling K-9s.

Scott said that in addition to determining precisely what happened, the internal review would focus on preventing similar incidents in the future.

While no criminal investigation was immediately launched, Scott insisted authorities would take action if they determine Mathis had been neglectful.

Lin Sorenson, with the St. Francis Foundation for Pets, a group that collected petitions and urged a judge to give an Urbandale man accused of animal abuse jail time last month, said she would need more information and would need to see what police determine before deciding whether to take action in Harley’s case.

“The loss of a police dog, a working animal, is a tragic situation for the handler and the department. No one wants to see a dog get injured or die. Accidents happen, things happen, and we’ve found that in almost all incidents — related to policing and not — training and education is the answer,” Hess said."

Negligence. As with all crimes not committed on purpose, the officer needs to be punished criminally.

the punishment should fit the crime,lock his ass in a 95 degree car for 4-5 hours!

if it was a kid and the driver was a overworked and stressed parent who just forgot.. the police would be seeking charges. No one intends to forget they just forget thats why its called an accident. No matter how much you try to play the negligence card forgetting is forgetting and it could happen to anyone at any time. Punishing someone for forgetting its insanely illogical, blind, self righteous and misguided vengeance. The only real crime in most of these cases is those who attempt to file criminal charges. I feel sorry for the guy and yea it seems real dumb of him but you know as well as i do that it was not his intention to kill his dog. I just wish the police would understand this about people and share the same compassion as they are showing to this cop.

you dont know what happened. it certainly wasnt intentional.

I hope he didn't just forget him...and from what I have heard and seen, these dogs are as close as a regular human partner...so I highly doubt it was something so careless. I wish this hadn't happened, but I do hope it was because the air conked out on the car.

If that's the case, then the department should make sure all their cars are running like they should.

In my humble opinion, unintentional or not, the officer was paid to exhibit more responsibility that he seemed to show. I think, again in my opinion, his current "upset and traumatize" stems more so from the possibility he might get charged with this. Let's not make the officer the victim here; it is the dog who lost his life and could not do anything about it. I would be willing to wage they force is going to internally investigate and based on the officer's clean record and on and on and on, thy will determine no negligence and he will move on in his career. However, the dog is still dead and a seriously crappy way to go. The officer had a responsibility to that animal and failed. He deserves to be upset and traumatized; think about the dog. Oh well, I have said my piece and my thoughts and I will will just wait for any response to the opposite.

@rockmebritney.. it never is intentional but when a civilian does the same thing they are instantly charged so this should be investigated and he should be charged. He left an animal in a car on a hot day WRONG from the start.. He maybe upset and my deepest sympathy goes out to him but he made a mistake and needs to take responsibility for this.

fault lies in negligence, and certainly this was more than simple negligence.

I bet if it was a child molesting, gang banging punk no body would care.

Bluepanther reather the A/C was on and stopped or not, it should not make a different how the car runs. The policy should be that the Dogs are not left in the car with the windows up. You could have a new car and have something go wrong with it you just don't know when one will break down or people would get stuck some place.

For those of you who added the cat comments above: a lot of folks, myself included, like cats. I suppose humor is where you think you've found it. Your additions didn't add anything to the discussion and showed a certain knuckle-dragger mentality.

I was locked in a car once when the temp hit 101, I said "woof woof" and a total stranger let me out after an hour of broiling. That happened once. Long time ago. Not that long ago, but some time ago. Was that yesteryear.....I mean yesterday? Maybe it will happen...in the future...not sure anymore. What was I saying?

great. cops already don't have to use their blinkers, they can constantly be on their cell phones and now they can murder. great.

great. cops already don't have to use their blinkers, they can constantly be on their cell phones while driving and now they can murder. great.

no just a brainless officer with his big a$&$ in a big hurry to get nowhere and his head stuck on a freakin cell phone.

hey smartcar open the windows theres body heat in this car. open the windows so i wont die.nobody gives a dern about your dumb car being open to the public. you left an animal or baby to die in this vehicle.

... you don't know what happened. it certainly wasn't intentional...

It doesn't need to be intentional.You let kids play in your back yard and one of them decided too hide in an old abandoned refrigerator, the door locks and the kid dies.

Certainly you didn't intend for the kid to die, but you gave them an opportunity to play in a dangerous area. Your responsibility was to keep them safe. You failed in your primary responsibility!

You are not absolved just because you didn't intend for the child to die.

You place a gun in your night stand in your bedroom,kids are not allowed in that room, are not allowed to rummage around in your drawers and you have told them, repeatedly that a gun is a NOT a toy - is that enough, does that absolve you of responsibility?

This is exteremely bad for the officer and he should be punished accordingly. A cop is a cop wether man, woman or animal. If it is his fault he is guilty of murder as well as any officer in this country.

Absolutely, Beoweof, your post rocks! There is absolutely no possible way to excuse what transpired here. A police officer left his loyal partner in a car with the windows rolled up on a hot day. Period. These are the facts. Countless citizens are outraged - as we should be! There is no explanation this police force can come up with that excuses or could defend this kind of decision on behalf of the dog's partner. None. Even if the dog succumed to sudden death from another cause, you cannot tell me that his exposure to this kind of heat did not exacerbate that death. I will be contacting this police department and city mayor with my thoughts on this and I encourage all to do the same. We do indeed need to speak for those without a voice of their own- in this case a loyal and devoted canine officer of the force. RIP yellow beauty - you deserved better.

My guess is that the car ran out of gas, so the ai-conditioning failed. The lack of detail in this story is astounding!

Paul, those things could have happened. But....where was the human officer at for so long that he was not aware what was going on with the car or especially the dog???? IF he was dealing with a situation he could NOT get away from he should have called for back-up and let SOMEBODY know this K9 officer needed to be attended to!!!! At least a human can open the damn door!!! Pretty tough to get out when all you have is paws!!!!

You are 100% correct about the lack of detail to this story. But...isn't that par for the course around here?!?!?!

Matt...seriously??? you feel for the frigging officer?? you must be a bible-thumper.........

One more stupid thing to add to the price of a car. Sure... put one in every car made for the next 200 years.

I'm not a Bible thumper, but even I understand there are such things as "mercy" and "forgiveness" that must go in to the act of healing after a tragedy.

my opinion is you accidently kill a k-9 dog they want to prosecute you for murder.Charge him with murder make him prove his innocence just like use average joes whats good for us should apply to law enforcement. If i left my kid in a hot car would i get a break hell no where is the justice let him have a jury trial with a million dollars bail for murder

Oh my god, are you people serious? The dog was this guy's 7 year partner. If any of you own a dog, you know that it didn't happen because he had better things to do and didn't care about his animal. He likely loved this dog as much or more than members of his own family.

If any of you own a dog that likes to ride in cars, you'll know that a lot of them will junp into a car with an open car door, lay down and go to sleep in the back where you can't see or notice them, and won't make a sound or even MOVE if the door is closed behind them.

I'll bet this tragic scenario has at least 2 if not 3 different people who handle and manage the dog and/or car during the day, and a terrible miscommunication occurred which contributed to it.

Everyone thought that someone else had the dog because "that's how it always goes", but the routine got fouled and forced a distraction.

Ever driven right past your normal, regular exit on the freeway, the one you take every single day?? It's JUST like that.

I know for a fact this is how it happens because it happened to our family.

And for the A-hole above who whined about an extra $20 on the cost of the car, I simply hope that you never, ever have to experience what a $20 gadget could prevent.

Maybe some perp stole his car, crashed it, and got arrested, the perp probably made bail in three hours. The officer gets in trouble for leaving the dog in the car and is in more trouble than the perp. Oh well, at least the tax payers gave the perp a good lawyer.

Are you serious MADMATT??? K9s are assigned to an officer. Its not like your family dog running out and getting into your car when the door is open. The dogs are trained to do as they are told!! Not running around and jumping in the car without being noticed.

Police cars are serviced regularly and a stalling problem would be found and an A/C problem in the summer 90 degree plus temps. would have been reported immediately by the officer using the car when the A/C quit. And traded out immediately.

No sense making excuses for this officer if the dog died from the heat. It could be ignorance or complacency. I have called police when I see dogs left in a car in 90 degree temps and the dog is barking himself silly at a 2 inch opening in the window and had the officer say "They left the window down"!

Try this little experiment if you are prone to leaving your dog in the car in even 80 degree heat. On an 80 degree sunny day YOU sit in your car with a window open 2 or 3 inches. turn your car off and see how long it takes for you to start getting hot. Then stay a little while longer maybe 15 min. or so to simulate the time the line in the store was long, or a friend stopped you to chat, or even how slow your waitress or cook was. See how fast and how hot it gets. Of course when it gets unbearable you can turn the car on and run the A/C.

In this case the dog was on duty and had to be in the car. If you own a pet no matter how much they like to go with you in the car, or how much you love them, if it is warm outside LEAVE YOUR PET AT HOME. They will still be around to love you for it when you get home.

I don't need lessons about heat in a car. I know it and understand it. The fact that heat deaths of pets and children happen from clear ignorance (oh, I don't want to be inconvenienced so I'll run into the store for just a moment) is impossible to condone and should be punished.

If this tragedy was a result of dereliction of duty, I'll be the first to pile on.

However, it is practically impossible for me to believe that this officer wantonly abandoned his animal in the cruiser.

I am willing to grant the benefit of the doubt until the facts are out.

I'll bet in the end it will be found to be an equipment issue or a communication issue associated with multiple people assigned to the animal and / or vehicle.

Ignorance-related tragedies of this type are outnumbered by those caused by strings of perfect-storm circumstance.

There is no multiple people assigned to their dogs. The officer and his K9 are assigned to each other exclusively! Home and work, No communication issue. Negligence or ignorance!

And a device to honk when someone in the back seat just farted so the driver has time to roll down the window before smelling it. Yea ok....wink wink....

and this idiot is supposed to be a trained dog handler this is why cops have bad names and I agree with mos t if not all peoples remarks here. He should be fined and suspended from the force without pay fo 6 mos. the $$$ going towards training of another police dog, too, he should lose at least one strip if not all.. He is after all responsible for a life and he failed to the extreme. I would insist on more thing, that the officers punishment should be made public in all the same venues that are covering this sad story. On a more personal note. I don't like re police men and women "pigs" but on this one.(?) I would gladly stand toe to toe and call him just that "a pig" then lets see what kind of polie officer "IT" is.

...I am willing to grant the benefit of the doubt until the facts are out.

I'll bet in the end it will be found to be an equipment issue or a communication issue associated with multiple people assigned to the animal and / or vehicle ...

YOU... don't know the circumstances YET...and you suggest he get a free-pass?

The rule is no one, other than the partner of a police animal has a right - any rights - to control or interfere with the animal. How clear is that message?

ieatredmeat-that's not how it's supposed to work in this country. you charge someone with murder, you have to prove they are guilty-if you can't prove your case, the accused is declared not guilty and is set free.

My question in regards to these sensor for setting off some alarm if someone/animal is left in the car, would be how would we make these sensors tell the difference between something living and say a heavy box set on the seat. I don't have any children or pets, and I guarantee that the sensors would occasionally go off in my car, as I'll leave things in the backset. Heck, I've had the passenger seatbelt signal go off repeatedly when I've had my backpack (if it's particularly heavy) in the chair next to me. Don't get me wrong, I think it would be a great idea to have some sort of safety device, but I don't know that weight sensors are it. (My next thought would be weight and motion sensing seats, but that wouldn't work for babies in baby seats, as the baby is stationary)

Alright: - It's not about detecting weight, it's about detecting motion. Super simple. Every modern alarm has a motion sensor. Mounted in the headliner of the car, pointing downward with a field of "vision" that doesn't include the windows. One is required for each row of seats. A kid kicking in a child seat or dog shifting around will trip it.

As for the comments above about the dog and officer being exclusive, that might happen in Mayberry, but not in a department with 9 other K9s.

In this case, there is certainly a kennel manager, so don't give me this "the dog goes home with him every night and the officer is the only one who does any thing for the dog 24x7" silliness.

The vitriol and ignorance in the comments above are simply mind-numbing.

Innocent until proven guilty (with the rest of the details) is what I am saying. I'll bet there are multiple hands in the handling of this dog through the day, and I guarantee that there is more to the story than you all are imagining in your mob-mentality minds.

Innocent until proven guilty (with the rest of the details) is what I am saying. I'll bet there are multiple hands in the handling of this dog through the day, and I guarantee that there is more to the story than you all are imagining in your mob-mentality minds.

Sociability of a working K-9, varies according to the use of the animal, which greatly hinges in it training as well as its temperament.

I have had service dogs, who had to be sedated - if anyone other myself did teeth cleaning, cut toe nails — needed to be in the room to have shots administered. This same dog, had no problem with allowing certain people, family members and some groomers to work with them. Kennel masters and exercisers can be problematic for some working breeds. You can't just hand your dog over to "Buffy" or "Chad".

Trained working dogs are not an animal you can just drop off at the cheapest kennel you can find in the Yellow pages. People need to be trained in how to work with animals with skills outside the family pet. You need to establish an early relationship with those, who will, potentially, have custody of you companion animals.

Things change according to how often the dog is left in exclusive car of strangers, how thoughly you have trained them and as always, the temperment of the animal.

As mentioned earlier; there is a difference between specialy dogs and general use Policedogs, who may or may not have schtzenhund training in their background.

Mic:: You said something about the cost of putting a motion sensor in the cars? I guess you think they add on for free the thing that senses something behind your car when you are backing up and it brakes the car. Or the car with the horn and flashing lights when your air pressure is low-- they install that device for nothing evidently.

The real tragedy of this situation is that it could have been avoided. The cop could have taken the dog with him and Harley would probably be here today. Of course, we should refrain from judging this guy before all the facts are in, but it's only human to speculate what occurred here. If it turns out that poor Harley baked to death in a hot squad car, we'll never hear about it...I.A. will cover it up to make it appear that the cop is blameless. Nevertheless, this cop needs to resign and the citizens of Des Moines should demand it because if he was negligent in protecting his canine partner, what makes you think he gives a rat's ass about protecting YOU??? Search your soul, officer, search your soul....

Beoweolf, normally disagree with just about everything you post. However, today I agree with pretty much everything you have said. Well done well stated.

As I assumed.... Several things were completely out of the ordinary on this day. 1. In an unmarked instead of his normal K9-equipped cruiser. 2. Non-standard return to the precinct. 3. Unplanned and distracting call.

This is how it happens people. Hopefully additional process is put into place to prevent the problem in the future. Now, however, either put the guy in the noose, or put yourself into this situation and show some empathy.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120901/NEWS01/309010015/-1/ENT05/Inquiry-launched-into-Des-Moines-K-9-s-death

Police said Mathis had intended to bring the animal to the police station to keep it out of the sun but had gotten distracted and apparently forgot the dog was in the car.

Mathis was working on a vice investigation Wednesday afternoon, but grew concerned the case would drag on and, not wanting to leave Harley in his car, drove back to the police station to drop off the dog.

Once there, Mathis took what he thought would be a minute-long phone call and went into his office to check on something, police said.

The phone call dragged — though police have not said for how long — with Harley still in the car.

When another officer accidentally kicked Harley’s food bowl in the office, Mathis apparently was jolted away from the conversation.

He ran out to the car, but Harley had already died, police said.

Des Moines patrol cars specifically assigned to K-9 units are equipped with safety features for the dogs. Mathis was driving an unmarked car on Wednesday. Scott said he didn’t know if there were any special features on it and, if there were, whether they were working properly.

i'm astonished. WHEN did we elevate animals to human status? Dog dies. Bummer. Many of you want to hang this poor officer. IN NO WAY SHOULD HE BE HELD LIABLE. IT'S AN ANIMAL. If half of you that believe that you are equal to that that of animals in this often times sick twisted nation, WHERE do you get that kind of information? Arresting someone for tossing a cat out a window? Of course we don't condone cruelty to animals. OF course they should be cared for, fed, loved, etc. But where do you draw the line? You people who want to hang this officer are one pathetic species.

The cop being harassed needs to get 1 weeks extra paid vactation and a raise. He's suffering enough, especially now that the bottoom-feeding media has gotten you human animals aroused. It worked.

Stand up Joke off if it was you and the guy that left the dog in the car came to arrest you for animal cruelty and whatever the hell else he can come up with i can guarantee you he would not be forgiving and merciful no matter how bad you felt

But you and I don't need to take our dogs with us when we go out in the car in hot weather. A police K-9 handler does; it's his job.

If he was negligent, he should get in trouble. But if he left the car running and something happened to the car to cause it to cut off or the AC to stop working, that's not his fault.

Let's wait until we know what happened before we hang him, OK?

If it wasn't a police officer the person responsible would have already been handcuffed and thrown in jail....That makes no sense. If you were the police officer, would you have cuffed them and thrown them in jail? Also, would you have thrown away the keys if you were/weren't a police officer?

As far as suggesting that some "Good Samaritan" should have, could have broken the window and let the dog out? Get real!

You don't know what kind of K-9 would be in the car. A narcotics dog, a tracker dog, a crowd control or even a general utility Police dog is a tool of the police. You are legally forbidden from harassing, teasing, being in the vicinity or otherwise agitating a police dog - you are held accountable. You break the window and anything which happens after that - you are legally responsible for ... and believe it, you will be prosecuted.

Not that its the same, but if you let a Lion out of his cage - even with the est intentions - in a populated area, I'd place cash money that it would not be thought of as compassionate, you would be thought of as stupid.

Les interject some background on the qualities of a typical Police dog (this is not necessarily he same as a specialty dog. - like Bloodhounds, scent dogs, etc - are judged differently than most general utility Police dogs.

Schutzhund tests dogs of all breeds for the traits necessary for police-type work. Dogs that pass Schutzhund tests should be suitable for a wide variety of tasks: police work, specific odor detection, search and rescue, and many others. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have or do not have the character traits required for these demanding jobs. Some of those traits are:

• Strong desire to work
• Courage
• Intelligence
• Trainability
• Strong bond to the handler
• Perseverance
• Protective Instinct

Schutzhund tests for these traits. It also tests for physical traits such as strength, endurance, agility, and scenting ability. The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character and ability of a dog through training. Breeders can use this insight to determine how and whether to use the dog in producing the next generation of working dogs.

The point is - they are not necessarily dangerous - however, they are different from your average mutt or the Pit Bull owned by your local anti-social tweker/gang banger or meth seller.

They need to be handled by someone with sense.

That fact is if you let a K9 out of a police car you make risk injury unless you are the k9's handler or another police officer the dog is familiar with. These dogs are not trained to be friendly with strangers like an average dog may be.

There is no excuse. As Inestwo wrote, how many times have we been told to NOT do this!!! Pure lack of attention. The dog suffered not the man. People - wake up! If you are traveling with other sentient beings who depend on you, REMEMBER to remove them from your vehicle, along with yourself, during hot weather - temps even in the low 80s can be deadly in a sealed up car.

I do agree and this is police officer nonetheless. He is the one who would/should be going around breaking windows to free animals and children and citing those who committed that crime. Yes, there is no excuse for this. He failed his dog miserably.

"There is no excuse".

Well, except there could be. K-9 handlers often are required to leave their dogs in their vehicles while taking care of other tasks. If that's the case here, and the vehicle malfunctioned, that would be an excuse. If the officer did something stupid that caused the death of the animal, he should have consequences. Nothing in this story gives enough info to decide either way.

A dog was left unattended in very high temperatures apparently with NO water and No way to cool off. OFficers have radios'. IF he was held up and could NOT get away to attended to his dog/partner he should have called for back-up!!!!

People are always angry when things like this happen to dogs, children, the disabled... but there's never any sense of realization that, "Hey, maybe I, too, could ever do something like that"--only the outraged, "Oh, I would NEVER be that stupid!" So say the people who end up falling onto railroad/commuter tracks while talking on a cell phone, or running train barriers because they don't see any trains coming, or who let their children play in the front yard unattended only to have them snatched...

This is a horrific incident that will live with this officer forever. One lapse of attention is all it takes. If you think you're perfect and above ever making any mistakes in your life and to the lives of others, then maybe you should be campaigning for President.

Caziee,

I have been guilty of it...leaving my baby (dog) in the car with the air conditioner on...going into a store and half way through shopping, panic strikes because you think "what if". I was very lucky in that my little girl didn't die that way. I am devastated at losing her as is, but if it had been in the hands of my own stupidity, I'm not sure I'd ever get over it.

RIP Harley. I'm sorry you had to die this way. :( It must have been horrific for you.

I saw a cop car w/a Shepherad in it outside a restaurant...it was about 95 or so degrees outside...I drove around it to make sure...it was running and the dog looked comfortable...no panting or irritablity...just waiting for his partner to come back out.

Conway Twitty You are playing with fire. And you should feel guilty for the rest of your life if it does happen. How hard is it to leave the pet home if you just have to go shopping. Major lame move on your part. Ignorance is not bliss.

I can't imagine leaving my dog in a hot car any more than leaving my baby in a hot car. things happen...ac breaks, someone opens the door, who knows? My luck would be I would run into a bank and cash a check, leave the dog/baby in the car, and the bank would be robbed. I'd end up being in there for hours and my poor baby/dog:(

I have a sort of friend who brings her golden retrievers and chihuahua with her. She leaves them in the car to "run in" somewhere or drags them all into people's houses with her. Geez. They could be happily playing safely at home.

But this is so sad and I wish they wouldn't leave them in the car. I know they are trying to work, but poor dogs:(

RELAX ya'll, relax. The Humane Society, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and Compassion Over Killing all have EXTENSIVE teams of lawyers that are well equiped to dig into the truth about what really happened. They WILL find out! And if the officer screwed-up, they will see that justice is done--trust me, they will. And, we'll hear about it in their next big campaign for donations.

we dont know why the dog died - officials.... obviously the windows where rolled up and the ac was off, this mesed up government wont ever tell us the truth about nothing... sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MsMoxie

Conway Twitty (TWITTER!, or can't you read either?)
You are playing with fire. And you should feel guilty for the rest of your life if it does happen. How hard is it to leave the pet home if you just have to go shopping. Major lame move on your part. Ignorance is not bliss.

@MsMoxie
Keep your "f" ing lectures to yourself! YOU don't know ME, and I seriously doubt you are any saint!
Please spare me the "I would never" BS. Because we both know, it would be just that...BS!

How hard is it for me to leave my dog at home? I worked out of town every week, and she always went with me and was in the car riding home with me when I stopped. How hard is it for YOU to act like a human being??? I'm guessing you were never taught.

You know NOTHING but the rotton smell of the *h*t you spew from your mouth!
My little girl died 3 years ago, from HEART DISEASE, not in the car. I spent thousands of dollars trying to "fix" her AND I have lived the last 3 years of my life feeling "guilty" enough over the fact that I couldn't save her from THAT, so spare me your wah wah wah's. Don't tell me how to treat my family members! Like I said...YOU don't KNOW ME so STFU!

And don't bother coming back with any more of your garbage. I won't read or respond to it, because to me, you are now nothing more than self-absorbed trash.

Decatur Gail - Get real. If it hurts someone, it still does change a thing because too many people do this and they never learn. People are not feeling hateful, just upset that this continues to happen over and over again, to defenseless children and pets, because the "adult" is too forgetful or is multi tasking trivialities.

True Gail, we do not yet know all the facts. But we do know if it wasn't caused by a negligent act, at the very least he was negligent in overlooking that his dog/partner was in distress and in need of medical attention.

In this case it was an officer with his partner. The K-9 partner cannot always be left somewhere and sometimes has to stay in the car unlike normal people with their animals that can just leave them at home. Until all the facts have actually been released everybody is jumping to conclusions. For all we know the windows could have been down or the A/C was working and it could have been some freak incident. It is not clearly stated that the heat is what resulted in the death of the animal. RIP Harley

finally! : )

Yes, we are jumping to conclusions too fast, that being said it needs to be in the public eye so these kind of horrible things don't get swept under the rug and Harley is forgotten.

You obviously aren't a big animal lover. If you were, you would know that, even though animals are not human, they are a lot better than some humans out there. And just because they aren't human, that doesn't give anyone the right to abuse them.

unknown- it doesn't matter if it was a dog or human. In my opinion, anyone who doesn't care about animals (of any kind) isn't much of a human being. Animals are a living, breathing being and deserve to be treated with care. It sickens me to see how careless and uncaring some people are towards such, especially people who hit a dog or cat with their car and just leave it to die at the side of the road like a piece of garbage. If i had no choice but to hit one, i would at least stop and do something. Like the saying goes "God bless the children and animals in this world for they have no say, they have no choice".

Twisted? Ever seen how they train these animals? The dogs love it...all they know is work means getting a reward when finding something...as for going after people, they are very healthy animals...built to take you or me down in an instant...something that comes natural, I am sure. So I really doubt any of these beautiful dogs ever feel anything but love and compassion., with a little bit of fun thrown in.

They get treated better than you or I do, I'm sure.

Cops are not scumbags,,,, but it's obvious that you are.

Noooooo, cops aren't scumbags, they just murder people.

yes, there are scumbag cops, but there are also good, honest cops as well. You can't just lump all of them together. Every profession has its good and bad apples, and unfortunately it's often the bad that are responsible for the profession's reputation.

Robert Martin-5199337,I agree that whoever left the dog in the car without AC should be punished,but I also think that an independent group (animal activists) should investigate to be sure that we only punish the guilty person,I know that the local police here often leave their dogs in the car,engine on ac on when the human officer needs to be out of the car for a few minutes, are we so sure that some other idiot did not shut the car engine off? Punish the guilty,but be sure we punish only the guilty,BTW Icurrently do not have any dogs but have had as many as five at one time,most of my dogs have died of old age except two,one with cancer,put to sleep,one posioned.

That's pretty ballsy of someone to shut the car off for the hell of it but anything is possible. No what I think happened is the police officer made a seriously bad mistake like humans do no matter how perfect we like to think society is. The entire world is on speed and everybody is in a hurry and too many things going at once and he forgot about the dog. Same crap happens to people and their baby. Doesn't make it right and it doesn't excuse the person at fault but I have no doubt the cop is punishing himself already...

In 15 minutes on a hot day inside temps reach 130 degrees. Never take a dog with you on a hot day period. You are not doing them a favor. Also what about these rednecks that have their pits thrown in the hot back bed of their truck? Not only will those dogs go flying through the air in a fast stop, but if they are chained, well, you can figure that one out and it is really hot sitting on that metal truck bed with nothing to keep the sun off. Why??? Why not leave the dogs at home???

Yeah, it kind of seems like leaving K-9's in the car with the a/c running while the officer is out is standard operating procedure. Perhaps this story indicates that that procedure needs to change.

I understand what you are saying however what concerns me is that they can not determine if the car a/c was running or if the windows were up or down? Harley's partner is a human being and can speak can't he tell them the condition he left the car in such as " I did have the a/c on with the windows up" or perhaps " I did have the windows down but the car was not running"? I think there is something wrong with the situation and what exactly was the officer stopped for and how long was he gone?

(I'm petty sure that most new cars have a computer... Computer memory should be able to hold several minutes (maybe hours, days) worth of incedents or normal functions or errors of the car a well as its many systems?)

Probably some conservative saw the car running and no one inside... dogs, animals, the environment - don't count when it comes to taxes. So he decided to the motor off- to save gas, lower taxes.

Might even have left note - say you are welcome, I turned the motor off to save on my taxes. Teabaggers are proactive when it comes to pointing out government waste..!.

... Do I really believe that? No, but it was worth it to turn it around for a change...

I agree with you 100%. They get paid to do a job, but they let innocent creatures of god do their job and get killed because they have no Guevos and no guts, and really have no idea what they are doing, hence they just shoot and kill everything

LOL...Floridian...you're such a douche...

"unsure..." hence the investigation that hasn't been done yet.

cops should be charged too many have died recently due to negligence no slap on the wrist they need to be prosecuted

Let me put in my 2 cents here the fact of the matter is unless the dog died of natural causes then there was neglect PERIOD! perfom an autopsy apart from the bureau it doesen't matter if the window was down or not or the air was on the bottom line is it was 95 degrees out and the officer was and is responsible for the care of his animal i am sick and tired of reading where the police are above the law i bet he is really sorry with his butt looking at a possible prison sentence this animal is a officer and the law itself says you kill one its the same as a human officer MURDER! we read about this occuring all the time by ordinary people and they get proscuted why would he be any different THIS OFFICER NEEDS TO BE INDICTED

More likely he was Banging his mistress and lost track of time while his partner died.

really willie?

I am SO glad you know SO much about this. Why aren't you a cop or psychic since you already solved this crime without any evidence.

Dunkin Donuts

Good response. Wait and see.

Floridian...you're a hateful creature...please, shut the @!$%# up. Florida has enough to be embarrassed about...you only add to that picture...

Very well stated Chuck-2563941. No one here could have said it better!

I guess it isn't about the story, it's about what we bring to a story. Namely our own stereotypes and prejudices. We know all about it except we don't.

It's a police dog, at the very least it's some level of homicide, maybe murder.

If you or I killed that dog, it would be murder, no discussion.

How old are you? You cannot murder an animal, murder is for humans. Homicide is also the killing of a human, as in homosapien, get it?

Police dogs are considered officers. If someone (other than a human officer, apparently) kills a police dog, that person is charged with murder.