HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii Police Department said one of its K-9s has died after he was left in a police vehicle in West Oahu for an “unacceptable amount of time.”

Archer died Thursday, Sept. 4.

“This was a preventable tragedy,” said interim Chief Reed Mahuna. “Dogs should not be left unattended in a vehicle for any period of time.”

Mahuna promised “a thorough criminal and administrative investigation.”

He said, “We are committed to accountability and making sure something like this never happens again.”

Archer was a six-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix from Hungary.

He joined the Hawaii Police Department in 2020 and was trained in narcotics detection.

Police said Archer worked with his handler in numerous operations to keep drugs and dangerous contrab

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