Officer whose dog died in SUV won't be charged

An Alameda police K-9 officer whose dog died after he left it in his personal sport utility vehicle for several hours during a training session will not face charges, authorities said today.

The officer, whose name was not released, left the 6 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois inside his SUV while attending a use-of-force training exercise May 5 on Lincoln Avenue, police Lt. Bill Scott said.

When the officer returned to his vehicle after about three hours and 15 minutes, he found his dog "in distress," Scott said. It was declared dead at a veterinary hospital. The cause is under investigation.

"It is very tragic when an animal dies under these circumstances, but there is insufficient evidence to prove that the officer acted unreasonably," said Charlette Green, an Alameda County senior deputy district attorney who reviewed the case.

The SUV had at least one window down for ventilation, Scott said. It a was not an unusually warm day - according to the National Weather Service, the high temperature that day at nearby Oakland International Airport was 70 degrees.

The officer remains on duty and is still the subject of an internal investigation by the Alameda Police Department.