TYLER, Texas — K-9 Officer Ubo comes to work every week with his nose ready to search and move his paws around Chapel Hill ISD campuses, while also bringing smiles to everyone he meets.
While he's still a playful 14-month-old puppy, the Malinois has been working hard with his trainer and human officer Lesa Geddie, of the Chapel Hill ISD Police Department, since April 19.
Geddie said Ubo lives with her and she bought him from Pacesetters, a facility for training K-9 officers. He has the best personality and he doesn’t mind being around people.
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In the morning, they usually start off by walking the hallways or outside of the campuses. She said they also get to do some searches and help other school districts or agencies that don't have K-9 officers.
"The students like him and most of the staff does as well," Geddie said. "You’re always going to have those that are scared of him, that can’t be helped, but even those who are scared of him do not seem to mind him being there."
Andrew Whitfield, Chapel Hill ISD chief of police, said when Geddie was hired she was already trained in how to handle a K-9 officer.
So instead of hiring a contract worker to perform searches using K-9s, Whitfield said it would be better for the district and community to have that service in-house.
"That’s one of the main purposes of having him on campus. With contract, we can only have so many visits. He can be here everyday like a regular officer," Whitfield said. "You know (he'll) be here daily as that deterrent to not only keep kids honest but also being proactive on keeping outside threats outside of the building."
Ubo has been trained to sniff any kind of illegal drugs, such as vapes, marijuana and other substances.
"He’s our working dog. So, he’s already done well these last couple weeks, and we’re excited where he’s going to end up being after all," Whitfield said.
Ubo, who comes from Poland, responds to commands in the Czech language. Geddie said she hopes that Ubo will continue to grow in his abilities.
“He’s a young dog and the better he matures, the better he will get and his attention span will be longer,” she said.
Next year, Geddie hopes to visit the elementary campus to show the younger kids Ubo as well.
