"Left Unattended in Patrol Car for 7 Hours"... US Sergeant Indicted After Deaths of Two Police Dogs

Engine Off and Windows Closed in Vehicle
Autopsy Indicates Likely Cause of Death Was Heatstroke

In the United States, a sheriff's office sergeant was indicted on charges of animal cruelty after leaving two police dogs unattended in a car with the engine off for about seven hours, resulting in their deaths.

The image of a police dog left unattended in a car until it died. People · Salem County Sheriff's Office

According to local media outlets such as The New York Times (NYT) and CBS Philadelphia on July 9 (local time), the Salem County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey indicted Cody Henderson, a 41-year-old sergeant with the Salem County Sheriff's Office, on charges including animal cruelty on July 7.

Henderson is accused of leaving a vehicle carrying two police dogs parked in the Salem County Courthouse parking lot for about seven hours, from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on May 29.

Investigations revealed that the vehicle's engine was turned off and all its windows were closed at the time. An emergency device designed to sound an alarm and lower the windows if the interior temperature rose above a certain level did not function. Although there was an indoor kennel available in the courthouse for police dogs, it was not used.

After returning to the vehicle that afternoon, Henderson discovered the police dogs had died and transported them to an animal hospital in neighboring Delaware. The deceased dogs were "Rip," a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, and "Boomer," a 6-year-old Springer Spaniel.

The New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory's autopsy found that the most likely cause of death for both dogs was heatstroke. On the day of the incident, the highest temperature recorded in the Salem area was 81 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 27.2 degrees Celsius).

Investigators believe, based on courthouse CCTV footage and access records, that Henderson did not check on the police dogs for several hours after parking the vehicle. Although a maintenance record indicated an air conditioning issue, prosecutors determined that neither the vehicle nor the temperature alarm's mechanical malfunction contributed to the dogs' deaths.

Henderson was charged with causing the animals' deaths by failing to provide necessary care and for leaving animals in an inhumane environment inside the vehicle. He has been suspended from duty since the indictment and is scheduled to appear in court on the 30th.

Rip was responsible for patrols and narcotics detection, while Boomer handled explosives detection. The Salem County Sheriff's Office stated, "Both police dogs were valuable members who demonstrated the highest level of service and loyalty," adding, "We will not forget their contributions."

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