“Tails” of K9: Meet Ace
Ace is a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois from the Netherlands. He has served SDPD’s K9 Unit for over three and a half years and also assists SWAT. Ace is a dual-purpose dog. He can de-escalate violent confrontations and is trained in article detection. He can find any item that bears a human odor, such as knives, clothing, or a firearm. This is a particularly important ability when looking for discarded weapons.Because of his unique abilities, Ace has accompanied SDPD’s Homicide Unit and the Special Operations Unit in evidence searches. Thanks to Ace, a hidden firearm was recovered from a rooftop, which was critical evidence for a domestic violence case. Recently, Ace joined the SWAT team on a call to locate a person who had shot a police officer multiple times. During the standoff with SWAT, the suspect refused to exit the building and barricaded themselves inside. Ace helped the SWAT team apprehend the suspect safely.
Through a generous donation, Ace was funded by K9 Champions Barbie and Dan Spinazzola.
Like police officers, police canines have diverse specialties and serve various units. The “Tails” of K9 series highlights K9 Crimefighters that serve SDPD and our community. A new canine will be featured each week leading up to our Silver Soirée: “Tails” of the Roaring 20’s at Hilton Torrey Pines on August 25. The Silver Soirée is a special 25th anniversary edition of our annual K9 Soirée which raises much-needed funds for America’s Finest K9 Unit.
