Arizona DPS officer leaves K-9 in hot patrol car for one hour

Arizona Department of Public Safety detectives are investigating one of their own after an officer left his K-9 partner in a hot patrol car for one hour.

According to DPS spokesperson Officer Carrick Cook, the Belgian Malinois was found in the vehicle with a high temperature and a faint pulse.

Sources close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told ABC15 the dog had a temperature that exceeded 105 degrees.

Cook said the officer under investigation has been with the Department of Public Safety for six years.

Cook said the officer's name is not being released at this time.

According to Cook, the officer in question was in a loaner DPS patrol car and was in the process of moving his gear to his assigned unit when an emergency call came in regarding a car crash. The officer then responded to the crash, leaving his K-9 partner, "Jeg" behind.

Roughly 60 minutes later, DPS officials said the officer realized he forgot the dog and raced back to the other patrol vehicle where Dag was found with a faint pulse.

As of Wednesday night, Jeg was sedated at an emergency veterinary clinic in Tucson.

A DPS special investigative unit is now conducting an internal investigation to determine if policies were broken and if the investigation will move in a criminal direction, or face administrative action.

According to Cook, if it moves toward a criminal investigation, the Tucson Police Department will handle the case.

It's unclear what could happen to the officer who has been in charge of Jeg for less than two years.

Cook told ABC15 the officer had to be pulled away from the dog as crews worked to provide first aid. He said the officer was not on duty and was undergoing a type of peer and stress counseling used for officers after a serious event.

Stay with ABC15.com for more updates on the investigation and Jeg's condition.