On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the West Chester Board of Trustees made canine Rex’s retirement official by transferring ownership to Officer Lovett.
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“Canine officers, like Rex, are a tremendous asset for our department and play an instrumental role in keeping West Chester Township a safe place to live, work and visit,” said West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog, a former canine handler for the department.
From 2008 to 2017, canine Rex was deployed more than 600 times and logged more than 2,400 hours of training. Rex’s work led to a number of arrests and his resume includes many notable accomplishments from locating illicit drugs and weapons, to de-escalation and life-saving heroics, according to the township.
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Among his career highlights, Rex tracked and located a suicidal man in Liberty Twp. in 2013, ultimately helping the man get the assistance he needed.
And in a search of a vehicle last year, Rex helped lead officers to the arrest of suspects involved in an identity theft ring based in New York City, successfully netting several blank credit cards loaded with stolen identities as well as drugs and guns.
The West Chester Township Police Department Canine Unit was founded in 1993. The department intends to add a third canine officer to its unit to fill the vacancy left by Rex’s retirement.
Canine officers Ciro and Blek remain in service in West Chester Twp.
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