Police dog dies in hot car in Missouri after air conditioner malfunctioned

ARNOLD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri police dog died when the air conditioner failed in the patrol vehicle he had been left in. Vader, a 4-year-old K-9 officer for the Arnold Police Department in suburban St. Louis, died Wednesday. A Facebook posting from Arnold police says Vader’s handler left the dog in the running, air-conditioned vehicle while the officer tended to other duties. But when the handler returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the air conditioning system malfunctioned. The dog was taken to a veterinarian clinic and initially showed signs of improvement, but later died. Police say a heat alarm that is meant to alert the handler that the temperature in the vehicle is too high also failed.