K9 Kojack – Baltimore, Marland


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Died 8/25/15

Two Baltimore K-9 Officers Perish After Being Left in Vehicle

Dingo the Dutch shepherd and Kojack the bloodhound perished after they were left in a vehicle where the air conditioning failed. Police could not say how long they were left inside. According to the Humane Society, when the temperature is 72 degrees outside, it can reach 116 degrees inside a car within an hour. On the day the dogs were left inside the vehiclethe high was 83 degrees in Baltimore, according to the National Weather Service. The dogs had been working that day as authorities transferred detainees from the men’s detention center to other facilities before the complex closed forever at 5 p.m. One dog died at the scene while another passed away later.There have been several K-9 deaths nationwide this summer, with two in Georgia, and others reported in Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. The Humane Society advises never leaving a dog alone in a vehicle. Baltimore Police are investigating whether departmental procedures were followed and noted the K-9 handlers were “devastated.” According to the department, only two other dogs have died in the line of duty since the K-9 unit began in 1956. One was in 1971 and another was in 1982.

Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.