BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV)– Reporter Greta Goede toured a K9 car and learned how the Bellevue Police Department keeps their police dogs safe during long days in the summer heat.
- Cars can become unsafe for dogs minutes after the AC is turned off.
- BPD has a special system that keep the k9s cool in the summer.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's hard to stay cool in the Nebraska heat, especially in the car. And that can be dangerous for dogs—like K9s that need to be in the car to do their job. So how do they stay cool?
Bellevue Police has a special system to guarantee they stay safe.
Moose is a K9 with Bellevue Police Department and during a normal shift, he’s spending at least ten hours in a car.
In the summer, a car can reach dangerous temperatures for him within minutes of being shut off.
“Animals, just like children, in the car can be very dangerous if it gets too hot; it can kill them,” BPD Officer Chad Heller said.
BPD has a system to keep them safe during their hours on the job.
During a stop, most police officers have to turn off their patrol cars, but K9 units keep theirs running to make sure the cool air doesn't stop while still allowing the officers to take the keys with them.
But during heat waves, sometimes that isn't enough and while dogs can't tell us if they are hot, BPD's cars can.
“It tells us if the temperature gets too high. It automatically rolls down the back windows, and it has a fan that kicks on. We carry a pager with us that also starts to vibrate so if we are out of the car, it lets us know the temperature's too hot,” Heller said.
The car also has a horn that will go off to alert an officer that's away from the vehicle. So police dogs—like Moose—can do their job safely. “They are very close to us; they are like family. We want to make sure they are safe. We have to be responsible for them,” Heller said.
