FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE

May 28, 2025

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna announced that no charges would be filed after the death of a Cleveland County K-9 Officer last year.

The District Attorney’s Office carefully examined emails, photos, interviews and reports provided after the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) investigation into K-9 Dolar’s death. This was not a rushed decision due to the nature of the incident. However, upon reviewing the case in detail, DA Behenna determined the incident was not criminal in nature.

“This was a failure all the way around,” DA Behenna said. “The vehicle assigned to Dolar’s handler was not set up as a canine unit. It did not have a built-in kennel or a heat alarm system. The vehicle that was properly equipped as a K-9 unit was removed from Dolar’s handler a month prior to Dolar’s death. That vehicle was used as a pool car when another handler’s vehicle was being repaired. These were all contributing factors that led to Dolar’s death.”

Oklahoma Drug Dog Standards and Guidelines #12 state that a vehicle used to transport a police dog should be equipped with a heat sensor monitoring device. The OSBI investigation revealed that it was known the air conditioning in the vehicle assigned to Dolar’s handler had problems. In fact, the vehicle would stop blowing cold air when idling, which was also known at the time of Dolar’s death.“The unfortunate death of Dolar could have been prevented with the issuance of proper equipment to the deputy,” Behenna said. “I hope moving forward that all Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office K-9 handlers are provided the appropriate vehicle and equipment to keep the K-9 Officers safe and avoid another death like Dolar’s.”

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