Maricopa police Officer Craig Curry violated three code of conduct policies, the department’s internal investigation into the death of his K-9 partner, Ike, has concluded.

For the violations, he served a 20-hour, unpaid disciplinary suspension, the department announced today.

The department also will eliminate one of its two K-9 units.

Ike, a 9-year-old Dutch Shepherd, suffered a heat-related death on June 27 after he was trapped a day earlier for up to 103 minutes in a department K-9 vehicle at police headquarters on a day the temperature rose to 107 degrees.

Curry, who joined MPD after graduating Mesa Police Academy in 2008 and has been a K-9 officer since 2013, was found to have violated the following conduct policies:

  • Failure to exercise care or control in the use of MPD equipment, property, materials, forms and facilities.
  • Operating an MPD vehicle in an unsafe manner when such carelessness causes damage to city property, or brings negative attention to MPD.
  • Unsatisfactory performance.

He has been working regular patrol duty since the incident.

The June 26 incident was investigated by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and reviewed by the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, which declined criminal prosecution of Curry.

“We are deeply saddened by the line of duty death of K-9 Officer Ike,” police Chief Jim Hughes said in the news release. “This was a preventable death and we are taking corrective action to ensure this never happens again.”

MPD said it was instituting the following changes:

  • Yearly formal written review of K-9 program’s mission, needs and policies as they relate to providing the best community service while utilizing the MPD K-9 program.
  • Quarterly K-9 written report to the Operations Commander on activities, needs or concerns within the program.
  • Accountability measures will be reviewed and updated regularly.
  • Monthly vehicle inspections by K-9 handler’s supervisor and report to lieutenant within five days of vehicle inspection. Handlers (like all officers) are still required to inspect their vehicles daily to ensure functionality and supply of proper equipment.

After reviewing how its two K-9 officers had been used, the department determined “one K-9 officer should be sufficient.” K-9 needs will be reviewed annually, it added.

Curry, who had been the department’s senior K-9 handler, told investigators he parked MPD vehicle #492 in the south parking lot, exiting the vehicle with the engine running, the air conditioning on the third fan speed and on the coldest temperature setting, all the windows rolled up and the doors locked. Ike was in the built-in kennel in the rear area of the truck.

As Curry walked into the building four minutes later, his ballistic vest and his duty belt, with firearm, were left behind in the vehicle, according to the investigation. The pager for the vehicle’s K-9 emergency heat alarm system – known as the AceK-9 Hot-N-Pop Pro – was still attached to the vest or duty belt.

The meeting with Campbell started late – about 3:30 p.m. – and they took a break about 4:40 p.m. Curry left the building to check on Ike, and as he approached the truck realized the engine was not running. He opened the rear door and found Ike in bad shape.

According to the report, Curry attempted to start his vehicle three times. When it did not turn over, he ran back inside to get help.

Curry and other officers took immediate action to cool the dog down, then sped the ailing canine to a local veterinarian for emergency treatment for hyperthermia, or heat stroke. Once his temperature was lowered, Ike was transferred via ambulance to a veterinary emergency hospital in Gilbert, where he spent several hours stabilizing before his condition degraded.

At 3:45 a.m. June 27, Ike, a veteran of the department since 2013, was humanely euthanized by hospital staff, a procedure authorized by MPD command staff and attended by Curry and other department personnel. A necropsy was conducted and the animal was cremated.