K9 Dex – Hinds County, Mississippi

Died – 7/19/18
Handler – Deputy Lafayette Martin

Mississippi K-9 officer dies of heat stroke inside deputy car

A Hinds County K-9 officer named Dex died of a heat stroke inside a deputy car. The dog belonged to Hinds County Deputy Lafayette Martin. Martin left the K9 in his running vehicle for about an hour while he went inside a restaurant to eat on his lunch break. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the engine shut down on the 2016 Chevy Tahoe while the deputy was eating. The K9 officer died of a heat stroke within the hour. Major Pete Luke said this 6-year-old Belgium Malinois was their top drug detecting officer. Major Luke said this was devastating for the handler and not something they want to experience ever again. The Sheriff has authorized equipping our K-9 vehicles with “Hot Car” alarms. These electronic devices are a safety net to lower the risk of a repeat occurrence. The device is designed to sound an audible alarm as well as automatically lowering the windows in the event of the vehicles interior gets too hot. The Tahoe has been pulled from the fleet and returned to the dealer for repairs. The Sheriff’s Department said that they currently have 5 K9’s in service within the department. The dogs go through routine strenuous training exercises and remain spot on with their ability detect illegal narcotics and explosives. According to the Sheriff’s Department, all of the K9’s get an annual checkup with a local veterinarian.

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Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.
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