# Why do some forget.....



## Jason Havens (Feb 6, 2011)

Why do some forget/neglect to care for those who care for us
From: WKRC/WHIO Cincinnati
Ohio Police Dog Dies in Hot Car

(WHIO-TV) A Mercer County K-9 unit died Wednesday after his handler left him in a patrol car. Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey said Deputy Chad Fortkamp left his K-9 unit, Zak, in his patrol car while he completed the reconstruction of a traffic crash at the office around 1:00 p.m. 

"When at the office, the car is either left running with air conditioning on or Zak comes into the building," said Grey. "The car was not running and it appears that Zak was overcome by the heat." 

After an autopsy, Zak, who suffered from a pre-existing heart condition, is believed to have died after being aggravated by the temperature of the car. The K-9 Unit's Veterinarian stated that even a perfectly healthy dog may have not survived the heat. 

A thorough investigation into why the dog was in the car and why the car did not have the air conditioning running will be completed, said Grey. The results of the investigation will be released upon its completion when a decision for disciplinary action against Fortkamp will be determined. 

"I am deeply disappointed and apologize to the members of the Moose Lodge, the Eagles of Celina and others who helped fund the K-9 program," said Grey. 

In 2010 the Moose Lodge donated $5,000 to the program in addition to the $1,500 from the Eagles of Celina for the purchase of Zak. 

The Sheriff's Office plans to suspend the K-9 program until further notice after losing two dogs within the last three years.


----------



## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I hate reading that kind of story. Yet it happens every year. It' just hard for me to find an excuse for such crap.

DFrost


----------



## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

it's hard for me to read this type of story ... again
,,,so i didn't read past the title 

my Q is why can't the LEO K9's and their PA types post some positive ones of the good work being done ?

posting these here is, imo, no different from a news bureau that jumps on a "story" if it is morbid enuff or gory enuff to stand out...because they think it "interests" people to read them
...if it was about handler error it won't be corrected by anyone here
...if it was about a bad dog that won't be confirmed here either
...if it was about a bad department no one here will fix it 

not that anyone gives a rats ass, but this is one guy that will only read good stories of successful PSD that a handler can be proud of that might help me even tho i'm NOT one

don't be mislead by thinking i'm a feel good kinda guy...i'm not
...and i know most "news" is bad news
.... and i still think LE does a crap job of promoting their own good work

off the soapbox


----------



## Jason Havens (Feb 6, 2011)

rick smith said:


> not that anyone gives a rats ass, but this is one guy that will only read good stories of successful PSD that a handler can be proud of that might help me even tho i'm NOT one


As a K9 handler I am truly angered that a handler would leave his partner in a car in the heat we have had this summer. My reason for posting the story was not put the handler out there but as a REMINDER for others to not do the same. So with that said.......
Here ya go Rick, a story about a real crappy dad getting some of what he deserved. All due to my PSD.

A Greenfield man accused of using his 2-year-old child to block law enforcement from finding a one-pot meth lab he had in his pocket has been found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison. 

It took the jury approximately 25 minutes to reach the verdicts Thursday afternoon in Highland County Common Pleas Court to convict Christopher Jenkins of one count of first-degree felony illegal manufacture of drugs in the vicinity of a juvenile; first-degree felony illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs; fourth-degree felony assault on a peace officer; and third-degree felony endangering children.

Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss said, "If this doesn't meet the Legislature's definition of the worst form of the offense, then I don't know what does. I can't imagine anything worse than walking around with a meth lab in your pocket with a 2-year-old child in your arms."

The state was represented by Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins and Assistant Highland County Prosecutor Molly Bolek, and they were assisted by Officer Jason Havens of the Greenfield Police Department. 

Defense attorney Kathryn Hapner argued that while there was evidence of a meth lab, there was no direct evidence that tied her client to the items used in the manufacture of drugs. 

The state alleged that during a Jan. 25 traffic stop on the vehicle in which Jenkins was a passenger, Officer Havens' K-9 indicated there were drugs in the vehicle. When Jenkins was searched, Havens testified, he kept holding his child closer to him as the officer attempted to search inside his jacket. The two men struggled, and Jenkins struck Havens in the face with a set of handcuffs. During the struggle, a Gatorade bottle fell from Jenkins' coat. 

Agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation testified Thursday that the Gatorade bottle was a "one-pot meth lab." A search of the defendant's apartment later turned up additional items alleged to be used in the manufacture of drugs. 

Barbara Sims, a witness to the event, testified Thursday that when she saw the struggle begin, she ran to the child and tried to shield him watching Jenkins fight and run from the officers. 

"I put (the child's) head on my shoulder to try to get him not to look," Sims testified. "He was crying ... He kept saying, 'they're hurting my daddy.'"



Following the reading of the jury's verdict by Highland County Clerk of Courts Ike Hodson, Coss proceeded to sentencing. Coss said that a pre-sentence investigation had been conducted on Jenkins in November, just prior to the court granting him treatment in lieu of conviction. 

During sentencing, Coss referenced the BCI agents' testimony regarding the volatility of meth labs, and the danger they bring to those who manufacture, and the innocent people exposed to the labs. 

Coss said that Jenkins' actions were "despicable." 

"What really gets me is the total disregard for your child," Coss said. "This really is the worst form of the offense. You not only endangered your child's life, you resisted arrest. It's obvious why (Jenkins resisted arrest). But your poor child had to witness it. Had you submitted, you would have spared him that. He probably has nightmares. He didn't know you were putting his life in danger. He was worried about you."

Coss sentenced Jenkins to the maximum for a first-time offender on a single count under House Bill 86 - 11 years in prison on count one. The state said that under Ohio law, for the purposes of sentencing, counts one and two merge. 

Jenkins was sentenced to one year on the assault charge and two years on the endangering children charge. 

The counts are to be served consecutively for a total of 14 years in prison. 

His license was also suspended for a period of five years. He was given 106 days of jail time credit.

It was also noted that Jenkins was indicted in March, in an unrelated case, where he is charged with fifth-degree felony vandalism. ***He was also on felony probation for possession of drugs from 7 months earlier that my PSD was responsible for.***

Collins told The Highland County Press, "We are very happy with the verdicts returned by the jury"


----------



## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Wasn't that a line in an old Mae West movie?

Is that a meth lab in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? ;-)


----------



## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

very interesting Jason
thanks a lot for posting !

i wouldn't think it's very common for a PSD to nail the same person twice.

did the defense try and suggest your dog was "picking on him" ?? 
....lol


----------



## Pete Stevens (Dec 16, 2010)

I feel for the handler but in this day and age, there is no excuse for it. There are heat alert systems that are a safety net but the first line of defense is always the handler. I leave the windows down about four inches when I'm away from the car even with the a/c cranked on. If for some unknown reason the car engine stops, my dog will be ok. As long as they aren't breathing air they just exhaled, they are usually just fine. Sure you might burn a litttle more fuel but I'll take that anyday over the loss of a PSD.

Plus if the weather is hot and you take a dog from an a/c cooled 70 degrees to 100 degree weather, they seem to tire more quickly. Leaving the windows down a bit allows them to get used to the outdoor heat so its not such a shock to the system. The handlers in the our desert areas do this and it seems to work well.


----------



## Jim Engel (Nov 14, 2007)

*Donated dog not wanted ?*

"I am deeply disappointed and apologize to the members of the Moose Lodge, the Eagles of Celina and others who helped fund the K-9 program," said Grey. 

This and the rest of the article make it sound like they took a dog they really did not want because it was with donated money. Could be I am reading more into this than is there, but the handler said nothing about actually missing the dog, and it seemed to be more "the dog" than "his dog."

Giving animals as a gift is usually open to a bad ending.


----------



## Jason Havens (Feb 6, 2011)

*Re: Donated dog not wanted ?*



Jim Engel said:


> "I am deeply disappointed and apologize to the members of the Moose Lodge, the Eagles of Celina and others who helped fund the K-9 program," said Grey.
> 
> This and the rest of the article make it sound like they took a dog they really did not want because it was with donated money. Could be I am reading more into this than is there, but the handler said nothing about actually missing the dog, and it seemed to be more "the dog" than "his dog."
> 
> Giving animals as a gift is usually open to a bad ending.


I don't think that is it at all. I think the apology is due to how much money was donated to purchase the dog and now it is like it was for nothing. Thats something I think is rarely taken into consideration, the people responsible for the actual purchase. For some, without the donations they would have no K9 programs. 

Again, handlers remember your partners.


----------



## Craig Snyder (May 7, 2012)

I'm sure no one feels worse than the handler. Every year we have parents that leave kids in cars and they die. We all wonder how can you leave your kid in a car? As dog handlers our dogs are almost on the same level as our kids. I can't imagine leaving my kid in a hot car or my partner. But it happens every year somewhere to both kids and K9's.

I'm the first to blame the handler but also the first to say give the guy some slack cause no one can feel as bad as he does about it if he was truly a real K9 handler with a real bond to his dog. If he was only the K9 handler because "well..someone has to handle this donation", that would be a different story.

What I trully don't understand is why a department would invest 10K and more in a dog and the training of a handler and not purchase a temperature warning device for the vehicle. Maybe they did. Maybe it wasn't working or not turned on.

As far as posting these types of articles, I see nothing wrong with it. Learning from mistakes is important. A few years back the NFPA started looking at near misses, not just LOD deaths and injuries. Now many fire companies and departments are looking carefully at the 'near' misses. Not in an attempt to place blame but to learn something from them and publicize the findings so other firefighters can learn from them.

Unfortunately, the 'good' articles are few and far between. After all, should it really be news that a K9 officer and his partner are doing the job they get paid for every day sniffing out drugs and arresting bad guys? Most fireman or medics never get articles about what a great job they do day in and day out putting out fires and pulling people out of wrecked cars everyday. Nurses and Doctor's don't get articles for saving lives every day in the ER, (ok.. it's mostly nurses, but the Doctor's help once in a while).

Only the exceptional stories get told. Jason's K9 story would have never been written if it wasn't the fact that a small child was so involved. That gets readers attention. I'm sure Jason has probably had many other busts where his K9 found drugs that never got written about.

It's always nice to see 'good' articles about dogs whether in LE, military, SAR, or as service dogs. But don't count on them very often unless it's a slow news day!

Craig


----------



## Craig Snyder (May 7, 2012)

New article:

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/deputy-suspended-for-death-of-k-9

Evidently there was a heat alarm but it wasn't turned on.

I would think the technology on these coudl be imporved such that they don't need to be "turned on".

Craig


----------



## Annamarie Somich (Jan 7, 2009)

This is being reported here in Houston, TX. Apparently, Bexar County Sherrif (San Antonio) handler left 2 mals in the dept SUV overnight. He had an emergency with his horse and forgot about the dogs. But the alarms weren't even installed because the maintenance dept didn't know how to install them! 

It is just all around sad. 

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Police-Dogs-Die-In-Hot-SUV-In-Texas--164021616.html​http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/...Where-2-Texas-Police-Dogs-Died-165267906.html


----------



## Annamarie Somich (Jan 7, 2009)

Good news. Details on the immediate changes in alarms, vehicles, and notification process that Bexar County Sherrif's dept is making.

http://www.foxsanantonio.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/vid_11422.shtml


----------



## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

He got off WAY too easy IMNSHO :-(

disabling the alarm shoulda just been another charge to add to the list, IF that is what he did

bottom line
he killed his partner 
by doing something a dumb pet owner might be expected to do


----------

