Meet Rex, the newest member of the UNG police force
Nov. 28—The newest member of the University of North Georgia police force is a bomb-sniffing K-9 named Rex.
Rex, a 2-year-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix, joined UNG police in October, according to a university news release Monday.
"He's a sergeant," said Rex's partner, UNG Police Officer Dustin Singleton. "He outranks me."
Rex and Singleton will conduct bomb searches at the Convocation Center on the Dahlonega campus before major events. They will also work throughout the state, including at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta doing pre-concert explosive detection.
"Every commencement we pay for someone to come in and do a bomb search of the Convocation Center," Singleton said. "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."
Rex was provided by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency for free. He will train alongside other K-9 officers at the Hall County Sheriff's Office.
"The dog was acquired through GEMA at no cost to the university," said UNG Police Chief Greg Williams. "His certification and ongoing certification will also not cost UNG anything."
For the first few weeks, Rex and Singleton toured UNG's campuses, getting to know students and meeting UNG President Bonita Jacobs.
"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."
