The Hawai‘i County Police Department announced the death of K9 Archer, a narcotics detection dog who served the department’s West Hawaiʻi Vice Section since 2021, died after being left unattended in a police vehicle for an extended period.

Interim Police Chief Reed Mahuna expressed deep sorrow, calling the incident preventable and emphasizing that dogs should never be left in vehicles. A criminal and administrative investigation is underway, and the department will review its K9 policies to prevent future incidents.