K9 Ace – Tukwila, Washington

Handler – Officer Frank

Former Tukwila K9 Ace dies after six years with the department

Ace joined our family in March of 2013 when he was paired up with Officer Frank. Ace went on to spend six years working night shift alongside Officer Frank and was responsible for the capture of hundreds of suspects along with saving Officer Frank and other officers on numerous occasions from serious injury or worse. Police K9s are more than just working dogs. They become a genuine part of their handler’s family and the department family. Ace lived at home with Officer Frank and his family and when Officer Frank put on his uniform, Ace knew that it was time to get go work. When not assisting on calls, Ace patiently waited at the station for his next call, tried to bribe officers into a game of tug-a-war with him and was often a comforting presence after particularly traumatic or stressful calls. Upon retiring in 2019, K9 Ace spent the rest of his days enjoying his time with Officer Frank and his family right up until the end. Ace was buried earlier this week in his tracking harness. Thank you Ace for everything you did to keep our officers and members of the Tukwila community safe over your six years of service. There are truly no words to express our gratitude due to having so many stories and examples of how fearless, loyal and brave Ace was. Our thoughts are with Officer Frank and his family during this difficult time.

Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.