K9 Ozzy – Long Beach, California

Died 8/14/19

K-9 officer found dead in car; heat likely to blame, police say

A Long Beach Police Department K-9 officer appears to have died from heat after being left alone in a vehicle, according to the department. The dog, Ozzy, was found dead by his handler on the afternoon of Aug. 14, and the department immediately began reviewing how it happened, LBPD spokeswoman Shaunna Dandoy said. “A local veterinarian examined Ozzy and the preliminary results determined the cause of death to be heat related,” Dandoy said. Both Ozzy and his handler were off-duty at the time, according to the LBPD. Ozzy was in a department-issued vehicle equipped for K-9 officers and their handlers, police said. “All circumstances surrounding the death, including possible equipment or mechanical failures, are being reviewed,” Dandoy said. After finding Ozzy around 3:40 p.m., the handler immediately reported what happened to the department, police said. Ozzy, who was part Belgian Malinois and part German Shepherd, worked in drug investigations, according to an article in the Signal Tribune last year. Ozzy had been on the force more than five years, according to the article.

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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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