51³Ô¹ÏÍø

The newest member of the University of North Georgia (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) Police Department has been described as "sweet, loves everyone and wants to work all the time" by his partner, Officer Dustin Singleton.

Rex, a 2-year-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix K-9, joined the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Police force in October. 

"He's a sergeant," Singleton said. "He outranks me."

51³Ô¹ÏÍø partnered with the Georgia Emergency Management Association (GEMA) to get the K-9 officer, and Rex will train alongside the Hall County Sheriff's Office's K-9 officers.

"The dog was acquired through GEMA at no cost to the university," Greg Williams, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Police chief, said. "His certification and ongoing certification will also not cost 51³Ô¹ÏÍø anything."

He works for the university. Student safety is his first priority.

Dustin Singleton

51³Ô¹ÏÍø Police Officer

Within the first week of arriving on campus, Rex and Singleton were adjusting to one another and their new duties, touring campuses, getting to know students, and meeting 51³Ô¹ÏÍø President Bonita Jacobs, an experience Singleton described as "awesome."

"He works for the university. Student safety is his first priority," Singleton said. "As soon as he's in the patrol car, he knows he's on duty."

The pair underwent weeks of explosive device training including Jekyll Island and the Georgia Capitol.

"We'll be searching for bombs on boats. I cannot wait. After that we'll be at the Georgia Capitol searching for bombs in the governor's office," Singleton said.

Rex will search the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Convocation Center prior to major events. The pair of Rex and Singleton will work throughout the state, including Mercedes-Benz Stadium doing pre-concert explosive detection.

"We wanted to have a dog that would be friendly around students. That's the top priority," Singleton said. "Also, every commencement we pay for someone to come in and do a bomb search of the Convocation Center. Instead of having to call people, we now have our own team, which makes it easier. We're getting to be the same size as larger units, so we want to make sure we're keeping up."