Officer Requesting Backup! Campbell Cops Get PETA’s Window-Smashing Hammers for Rescues From Hot Cars

For Immediate Release:
June 21, 2024

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Ten emergency window-breaking hammers have arrived from PETA to the Campbell Police Department upon request from Officer Jim Conroy, who has proved to be dogs’ best friend after contacting the group with concerns about animals left to suffer in hot cars while Ohio remains under a heat advisory this week. Every year, dogs across the U.S. suffer and die when their guardians leave them alone in parked cars—and PETA’s donation will ensure that every police cruiser in Campbell is equipped with a window-breaking hammer to help officers rescue anyone found trapped inside a sweltering vehicle. 

This isn’t the first time Conroy has taken action to protect dogs. In 2022, he and Campbell City Council President George Levendis worked with PETA to implement a local ordinance that made it illegal to keep animals tethered outdoors. City leaders unanimously approved the tethering ban and recently passed additional legislation to further protect animals from abuse and neglect—including requiring that animals never be left unattended outdoors when the temperature is below 35 degrees or above 85 degrees.

“Animals, whether left alone in a parked car or trapped at the end of a chain, are in danger every minute they spend helpless in the heat,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA encourages everyone to follow the lead of Officer Conroy by never hesitating to save a dog in need and has emergency window-breaking hammers available for anyone who’s ready to be a hero for animals.”

Last year in the U.S., 163 dogs and cats died from heat-related causes, including at least 69 inside vehicles. (The actual numbers are likely far higher, as most deaths go unreported.) On a 70-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 99 degrees in 20 minutes. On a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in just 10 minutes.

Anyone who sees a dog or a child alone in a parked car should never leave the scene and should take immediate action. Call 911. Then write down the vehicle’s make, model, color, and license plate number and rush to have nearby stores page the owner. If authorities are unresponsive or too slow and the dog’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness and take the necessary steps to remove them from the car.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.