Car Heat Detector Saves K-9 Lives

August 26, 2025

by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist

The dogs in the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Canine Unit are top athletes who train every day. They’re used to the heat – at home, when they’re off duty, they live in outside kennels without air conditioning so that when they’re on the job they don’t have to adjust. (Don’t feel sorry for them – I’ve seen some of their home kennels and they’re nicer than my patio.) Still, heatstroke is the most common cause of death for law enforcement K-9s. The dogs are limited in how long they can track because of the danger of overheating. And just like with our pets, being locked in a car without air conditioning can quickly be fatal to K-9s.

In a brutal Florida summer, the temperature inside a vehicle can quickly rise to 140 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Even when the weather is cooler it’s still dangerous – on a 70-degree day, the inside of a vehicle can still reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour. Shade won’t keep a dog safe inside a car, and cracking the windows doesn’t help either.

But our dogs have to spend a lot of time in their handler’s vehicle, so PCSO has made sure that they are never in danger. “Our trucks run 10 hours a night, four days a week,” said K-9 Sergeant Mike Kilian. “If we back up a deputy on a burglary or a domestic, the dog will stay in the truck while we figure out if there needs to be a deployment. Or if I’m backing up another K-9 deputy and they’re getting their own dog out, my dog stays in the truck until they’re needed. In between calls we have training, and we usually only have one or two dogs out at a time for that.”

The dogs need to be accessible, but not always out with their handler. If the handler is not on a call that requires tracking or detection, they’re not going to have the dog walking along at their side. “They’re in the car probably six hours out of a 10-hour shift,” Sergeant Kilian said. The car is always running, and the air conditioning is always on. But what if something goes wrong? If the battery dies or the air malfunctions, the K-9 could quickly die.

“More police dogs have died of heat stroke, from being in vehicles without a heat alarm, or vehicles where the heat alarm failed, than for any other reason. It could take five to 10 minutes for the heat to kill a dog if the truck dies in the middle of the summer.”

The solution is a system that monitors the internal temperature of the car and lets the deputy know if the car gets too hot.

All of the K-9 vehicles at PCSO use the Hot-N-Pop Pro system. Three thermometers are positioned inside the vehicle, and the handler can set the notification point anywhere between 80 and 90 degrees. “We keep ours set at 85 degrees,” Sergeant Kilian said. “If at any point the truck goes above 85 degrees, all the windows go down, the siren goes off, the horn goes off, and it puts our radio in emergency mode. That makes the dispatcher aware that our dog is in distress so they can call us on the radio.” What if they’re training out of the county where the dispatcher can’t reach them, and they’re inside a building where they can’t hear the car’s horn and siren? The system also sends an alert to the handler’s cell phone.

The safety system has already saved a dog’s life here at PCSO – Sergeant Kilian’s own K-9 Eddie. “I was out tracking with another K-9 handler. He had his dog out, so Eddie was still inside my vehicle.” Sergeant Kilian was far from his truck when suddenly he could hear the alarm in the distance. “My truck actually caught on fire. I could hear the alarm going off and dispatch let me know right away, so I was able to run back. I popped the door and Eddie was literally in distress, choking on the smoke. It saved his life.”

The system works whenever the vehicle is running. When the handler turns off the truck, Don’t Forget Your Dog is displayed across the dashboard. If they don’t open the back door at that point, within one minute the alarm goes off and the windows go down. “We have a lot of safety features.” There’s also an indicator for the car’s battery, and an engine stall sensor. They test the system monthly on training nights by taking out their dogs, then turning the heat up high in the vehicle and making sure the alarm goes off when it hits 85 degrees.

“This is great technology,” Sergeant Kilian said. “Every agency should be using this.”

Polygraphs Help Reveal the Truth

by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist

She told detectives she had never shaken her baby, and she stuck to that story… until Deputy Nelson de Leon administered a polygraph. In interviews afterward, when confronted with the polygraph findings, she finally confessed, showing on a doll exactly how she had shaken her helpless child.

The polygraph can be a vital tool in helping solve crimes. It’s also used to make sure the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) hires the best candidates for both sworn and civilian jobs. Deputy de Leon became a certified polygrapher in 2019 when he was a Robbery Homicide detective. Now he works in the Human Resources Bureau. Since taking the 10-week course he has used his skills in both criminal cases – mostly with Crimes Against Children – and as part of the evaluation process for employment.

Whether the polygraph is for hiring or for a criminal case, the basic procedure is the same. First, without being hooked up to anything, the subject is asked the full list of relevant questions. The questions are always in yes/no format. To prepare for a polygraph in a criminal case, Deputy de Leon will read the report and talk with the detectives so he can formulate questions relating precisely to that case. The questions are specific, so he might ask something like, did you shoot John Smith at his girlfriend’s house?

For a potential new hire, he uses a standard set of questions that touch upon topics of criminal history, drug use, and previous employment. Questions might include have you ever stolen from an employer, have you ever been fired from a job, or have you ever used illegal drugs. He might also ask if they lied about anything in their application.

Next comes the educational component. “I explain the process, and describe what each sensor does. I also explain the physiological responses of an untruthful person, and tell them about the reactions of the central nervous system.” He makes sure the subject understands something about the science behind a polygraph. “This instrument doesn’t know the difference between a big lie and a little lie,” he emphasizes. “If you lie on this exam I’m going to know about it.”

Once they understand the process, he’ll hook them up to an assortment of sensors and wires to measure their body’s responses. A cuff takes a blood pressure reading, and twin straps around the chest and abdomen record breathing and movement in the upper body. Two clamps on the fingers measure electrodermal activity – sweating. The plethysmograph attaches to a third finger, shining a light through the fingertip to measure changes in blood flow and volume.

It's not uncomfortable, but it can feel strange being hooked up to sensors and even innocent people can get a little uneasy. “Everybody is nervous,” Deputy de Leon said. “No one likes to be polygraphed, no one likes to be hooked up. I’ve been polygraphed I can’t tell you how many times, and I don’t like it.” He always takes this natural nervousness into account.

To help set them at ease and make sure they fully understand the testing procedure, the next step is the acquaintance exam. “It’s kind of like a practice exam, to show the person what a polygraph is like, and also make sure everything is working.” The subject is given a sheet of paper with the numbers one through seven written on it… but one number is missing. He then has them write out that missing number. He will then ask, for each number in turn, if that was the number they wrote. But for this test, the subject is instructed to lie, and say no to each number, even the one they actually wrote. He then lets them know that he can see their physiological response to lying.

When the evaluation begins, there are no surprises or tricks – the subject is asked the same questions they already answered at the beginning. As they answer, their physiological changes are recorded. (The whole process is also recorded on audio and video.)

If someone has a notable response to a particular question, Deputy de Leon will ask clarifying questions. “I’ll do a breakdown test, a specific issue test concerning that, and try to clear it up.” Say for example he detects a strong physiological response to the drug involvement section. He’ll let them know about the response and ask an open-ended question. Is there anything else they can tell him about that topic? A subject might not quite remember if they took a hit off a joint that was being passed around in college one drunken night. Or they may show physiological signs of strong emotion or anxiety around the topic for another reason. Maybe they don’t use drugs, but their brother died of an overdose so the whole subject is traumatic to them and could easily trigger a physiological response. Deputy de Leon can then run another test on that specific issue that can clarify their reaction.

After a pre-employment interview, he doesn’t usually tell the person how they did, just that they’ll be hearing from their background investigator. For a criminal polygraph though, at some point afterward the subject may be confronted with their suspected lies. “That’s the point where they sometimes confess.” When they believe that their body is telling the truth even though their words may lie, they sometimes admit to their crime under subsequent questioning.

Polygraphs can be a useful investigative tool, though they’re generally not admissible in court. People can refuse to take a polygraph, but some suspects request one to try to prove their innocence.

People have a lot of theories about how to beat the polygraph, but Deputy de Leon said there’s no guaranteed way. “They think if they put a tack in their shoe to cause pain, or clench their muscles they can influence the polygraph. But I’m not just asking the questions, I’m observing the subject. I’ll see if they’re doing anything. You can try to manipulate your breathing, but I’m going to call you on that.”

The best thing to do when taking a polygraph? “Just be truthful.”