California: Twin Rivers police dog dies after being struck by car

The Twin Rivers Police Department lost its only canine officer Wednesday afternoon after he was hit by a vehicle. Jag was fatally injured during a training session at a regional training center in West Sacramento, said Sgt. Matthew Scott of the police department, which serves the Twin Rivers Unified School District in the North Sacramento area.

Jag, a Belgian Malinois, would have been 8 years old next week.

His handler, Sgt. Arlin Kocher, and another handler performed CPR on Jag at the scene and en route to a veterinary hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Jag lived with the Kocher family and was considered a family pet, Scott said.

Jag was born in Mexico and purchased by the department five years ago to help officers apprehend suspects and to sniff out narcotics, according to the district.

“Bu mainly he was an ambassador,” Scott said. “All the kids loved him.”

Jag often visited schools to display his training, play ball with the kids or look for narcotics, Scott said. In return, students sent drawings of Jag to the department chronicling his visits.

“He was really a beloved member of the department,” Scott said. “He always had that smiley dog face.”