Criminal charges considered over police dog death

Criminal charges are being considered following an independent report into the death of a “fearless” service dog in police care. The German Shepherd, Baron, died in kennels at the George Town police station in July. A file has been referred to prosecutors and a decision over charges is expected to be confirmed next week.

One of a team of four dogs in the K9 unit, Baron, was highly trained, responsible for sniffing out drugs, helping track property and chasing down criminal suspects. He was initially reported to have died of heat exhaustion after being left in the kennels overnight.

His death sparked public outrage, especially from animal welfare groups. The ombudsman, which is responsible for investigating police complaints, launched an ‘own motion’ investigation.

The unit confirmed in a press release this week that it had concluded its inquiry and made multiple recommendations to the police to improve the conditions in which dogs are kept.

The ombudsman declined to give details of the circumstances of Baron’s death, saying it could not comment, as criminal charges were being considered.

“At the conclusion of the joint investigation into the death of K9 Baron, a file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions on 13 September 2022.”

“We will not be substantively commenting on our own findings until the completion of any action taken by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and/or the Cayman Islands court system with respect to this matter as a result of the legal ruling recommendation on 6 January 2023.”

The ombudsman did not indicate what charges, if any, were recommended or who they were against. Police did not return requests for comment by press time Wednesday or respond to questions over what action, if any, had been taken to deal with the incident.

The inquiry was carried out by the Department of Agriculture animal welfare unit with oversight from the ombudsman, which also led a parallel investigation into the conduct of the police officer involved, who has not been publicly named at this point.

The ombudsman’s statement did highlight some more general recommendations about canine welfare, which it had made to the police and which it said had been “promptly actioned”.

These included a new roof outside the kennels, the creation of a welfare and observation log for each dog handler and the need for air conditioning maintenance in the kennels on a regular basis. Further recommendations were made around clearing debris from unused kennels for quarantine areas and to prevent rodents from getting in, the removal of chemical and cleaning supplies and the need for an enrichment and exercise area for the dogs.