APD K9 Ray Medal of Honor Presentation

A ceremony will take place at Dimond Center on Thursday, May 12th from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm to honor Anchorage Police Department’s K9 Ray. Nearly one year ago, on June 14th, 2021, Anchorage Police Department (APD) was called to Dimond Center at approximately 2:00 am in response to a vehicle driving through the South mall entrance and the driver threatening security officers with a machete. Due to the quick response times and professionalism of APD, the situation was resolved without bodily injury to any person. However, during the confrontation, K9 Ray was struck with the machete and required staples. He has since fully recovered and returned to active duty. To honor the job performed by the officers and K9 Ray during the incident, Dimond Center will hold a ceremony to present K9 Ray with a Medal of Honor. The ceremony will take place on the North side of Dimond Center, in the open courtyard near Zumiez. In addition to the presentation, Dimond Center is sponsoring an art contest in partnership with Anchorage School District (ASD). High School students within ASD were given the opportunity to create portraits of K9 Ray and submit them for judging. All submissions will be on display during the event, and a panel of judges comprised of representatives from APD, ASD and Dimond Center will vote on the winner. The winner will receive a $1,000.00 scholarship from Dimond Center and their artwork will be on long-term display, alongside a professional portrait by local artist Renee Everhart. A coloring contest will also be held for children ages 12 and under. K9 Ray coloring sheets can be picked up at the Dimond Center management office or printed directly at www.dimondcenter.com and dropped off at the management office or Information Desk. All coloring sheets submitted prior to May 12th at 12:00 pm will be displayed at the ceremony. Each child will receive a free ice skating pass when they turn in their finished coloring sheet.