The Long Beach Police Department launched an internal affairs investigation Tuesday into how one of its K-9 officers ended up dying in a hot car.

Until yesterday, the LBPD said only that it had been reviewing the circumstances of the K-9 Ozzy’s death. The IA investigation marks an escalation in that probe.

Police declined to say whether the investigation was targeted specifically at the dog’s handler, who found him dead earlier this month. But launching an investigation would allow officials to legally question the officer about what happened while under the threat of discipline.

Police began their initial review after Ozzy’s handler found him dead in their department-issued car around 3:40 p.m. on Aug. 14, the LBPD said. Both were off-duty at the time, police said.

“A local veterinarian examined Ozzy and the preliminary results determined the cause of death to be heat related,” LBPD spokeswoman Shaunna Dandoy said.

Police said they believe Ozzy’s death was accidental and an alert system meant to notify handlers when their cars get too hot may not have been working.

Police have not answered questions about how long Ozzy was left in the car or where, but they said K-9 vehicles are equipped with cooling systems that are supposed to keep running until they’re manually shut off, according to the LBPD.

In a statement announcing the IA investigation, police said they wouldn’t be revealing any more details for the time being.

“We respect everyone’s right to share their opinions, however, we will not provide further comment until the Internal Affairs investigation has concluded.”

Internal affairs has up to a year to complete any investigation, according to a department spokeswoman.