The Greenfield Eagles recently donated a total of $3,000 to the Greenfield Police Department for the purchase and installation of a K-9 heat alarm and deployment system for department’s K-9 Rony. An additional $500 was donated by Brian Woolever to help ensure there was enough money to get the system installed.
According to Greenfield Police Chief Jeremiah Oyer, who is also Rony’s handler, the system is for the safety of the K-9, who spends most of its time in the car when on duty.
Oyer said it is not uncommon for a K-9 to be left in the car for extended periods while their handler is away from the car on police business where the K-9 is not needed. He said there have been cases across the country where a police vehicle, with the K-9 inside, has stopped running and the summer heat has killed the dog, which has no way out of the car.
With the new system, if the police vehicle experiences some sort of malfunction or stops running and temperatures begin to rise in the car, the system will alert the handler by a cell phone notification and even open the windows. If temperatures begin to reach dangerous levels, the system will open the door so the dog can get outside.
Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the Village of Greenfield.
