(Photo courtesy of NBC)

When the weather heats up, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies handle multiple calls daily regarding pets and children left in cars unsupervised, which is a felony offense, officials said Tuesday.

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“This is a concern that deputies hear about every time the weather heats up,” said Deputy Josh Dubin of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station’s Crime Prevention Unit. “It’s a felony to leave a pet or a child locked in a car unsupervised under certain conditions.”

Related: Santa Clarita Valley Deputies Caution Owners About Pets In Cars

A recent case of an infant being left in the car — with the parent nearby and using an iPhone on an active phone call as a baby monitor — resulted in the parent spending three days in jail, five days of community labor not involving children, a 52-week parenting class and three years of informal, or summary, probation, according to a spokesman with the Los Angeles CountyDistrict Attorney’s Office.

Related: Woman Pleads To Child Endangerment After Child Left In Car

That case was a result of a concerned Santa Clarita resident who called the Sheriff’s Station to report a trapped child and then waited nearby for deputies to arrive.

That’s what residents are encouraged to do if they see a pet or a child trapped in a car, officials said.

Deputies take each call for service regarding trapped pets individually, according to Sheriff’s Station officials.

But if a pet owner can’t be reached, then the Department of Animal Care and Control will be contacted in order to free a distressed animal, if that’s what the situation calls for, said Deputy Mark Wood of the Sheriff’s Station, in a previous interview.

Anyone reporting a trapped pet should stay away from the vehicle they’re reporting, Wood said. Citizens are discouraged from taking matters into their own hands, he added.

When conditions are too hot or too cold for the animal to be left alone in a vehicle, or there is not proper ventilation, then the vehicle’s owner could be arrested for violating California penal code section 597.7, Dubin said.

Law enforcement officers who observe an animal in a vehicle that they reasonable believe may be suffering are entitled to take whatever actions necessary to help the animal, including smashing windows or prying open car doors, according to California state law.

“Within minutes, your car can reach well over 100 degrees,” Dubin said. “In 10 minutes, a car can heat up at least 20 degrees fahrenheit, and cracking a window does little to keep a car cool.”

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