Louisiana police K9 suffers heat-related death while tracking suspects – Law Officer

SHREVEPORT, La. – The Shreveport Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its police service dogs (PSD) that died due to a heat-related injury while tracking suspects on Saturday.

The police agency said in a Facebook post that Sgt. Jeff Hammer and his partner K9 Harrie were assisting patrol officers in locating suspects who fled from a stolen vehicle just after 4 p.m. on June 24 when the PSD suffered a medical emergency.

The department provided the following overview as they mourn their loss:

On June 24, 2023, at approximately 4:15 p.m., K9 handler Sergeant Jeff Hammer and his partner K9 Harrie responded to assist patrol officers in locating suspects who fled from a stolen vehicle following a pursuit. K9 Harrie relentlessly tracked the suspects and during his pursuit, sustained a heat-related injury.

K9 Harrie was rushed to the Animal Emergency Clinic & Intensive Care Facility and every effort was made to save him, but ultimately he succumbed to his injuries. Chief Wayne Smith and the Shreveport Police Department would like to thank everyone at the Animal Emergency Clinic for their life-saving efforts.

K9 Harrie was a seven-year-old Belgian Malinois and had served the citizens of Shreveport since January 1, 2018. At one point in his career, Harrie was thought to be a “lost cause”, but Harrie was assigned to Sergeant Jeff Hammer, a long-time K9 handler and animal lover. With the help of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office K9 trainers, Sergeant Hammer turned Harrie into an exceptional K9 partner that began assisting in training other police K9s. Harrie became one of the most sought-after K9s in the area.

Please keep Sergeant Hammer, the K9 team, and everyone who loved Harrie in your thoughts and prayers.

Dangerously hot temperatures have been blistering the South for the past two weeks, FOX Weather reported.  Shreveport’s high temperatures have been well into the 90s with “feels-like” temps exceeding 100 degrees.

Continue Reading