2012 Scottsdale K-9 Statue

Five Belgian Malinois, a golden retriever and their handlers were honored Thursday with a statue tribute from the Scottsdale Grand Canyon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Arizona decided to start a project to honor uniform civil servants and gave the individual chapters within the state the freedom to express that project in their own ways, Howell said. The Scottsdale chapter wanted to honor the Police Department’s K-9 unit, which is made up of six dogs and five officers. One of the dogs, the golden retriever, is a therapy dog, Fozzie, who also participated in the ceremony.

“Our chapter decided to think big,” Howell said. “We happen to have a lot of dog lovers in our chapter, and everyone was behind the idea.” The statue, a large, round stone showcasing an engraved plaque in the center, was unveiled in front of police headquarters, 8401 E. Indian School Road. “We want to commend K-9 service dogs and their handlers for all the work they do,” Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane said.

Police Sgt. Chris Coffee, who has been with the K-9 unit for six years, said he was honored by the tribute. His dog, Havoc, lives with him and made an appearance at the ceremony. Raider, the police dog who was accidentally shot by a Scottsdale police officer two months ago, also was at the ceremony, completely healed and back to work.

Coffee said he always wanted to be in the K-9 unit before joining.

“I love it, it’s a passion of mine,” he said. “It’s not a job, it’s a way of life.”

The tribute coincided with the grand opening of the Scottsdale Police Museum, which had been in the works for three years. The museum is inside police headquarters.