New K-9 officer joins campus police force

The newest member of the University of North Georgia (UNG) 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 UNG Police force in October. 

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

UNG 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, UNG Police chief, said. "His certification and ongoing certification will also not cost UNG anything."

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

Dustin Singleton

UNG 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 UNG 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 UNG 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."