MANSFIELD ADDS FIRST K-9 UNIT

Officer Rex Leaves Desoto Sheriff''s Office For Police Department

MANSFIELD - K-9s have become a common sight with many area law enforcement
agencies. Most authorities agree that the dogs - often specially trained to
sniff out drugs or missing people and even disburse a disorderly crowd -
can take the place of five officers.

Now, for the first time, a K-9 has joined the ranks of the Mansfield police
force. Officer Rex, an 8-year-old Belgian malanois, accompanied his
handler, Officer Curtis Sebastian, on his first patrol outing Wednesday
evening.

But Rex is no rookie. For more than two years, he wore a DeSoto sheriff's
deputy badge. Rex, along with the sheriff's office's other K-9, Tosca, a
3-year-old Belgian malanois, were instrumental in making a number of drug
finds in addition to successfully aiding in the search for several children
and adults who had wandered away from their homes.

Though Rex and Tosca were invaluable to the office, Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle
said he really couldn't justify keeping both, especially since he found
that many calls for the dogs were happening within Mansfield. "But I don't
ever want to be without one," Arbuckle said.

Enter new Mansfield Mayor Curtis McCoy. The former assistant police chief
who assumed the mayoral post July 1 quickly offered to take Rex.

"Coming from a law enforcement background, I felt a dog had been needed for
years and years and years," McCoy said. "Now I'm in a position to upgrade
the department, and we acquired the dog."

Rex, who had been donated to the sheriff's office, was in turn given to the
Mansfield Police Department. The sheriff's office also sold one of its two
fully rigged K-9 patrol cars to the city for $12,000.

K-9s previously had been prohibited from the Police Department by former
Mayor Harold Cornett, who cited liability concerns.

McCoy sees both sides. "It can be a liability not to have one. Dogs can be
used for the safety of all citizens. They have been a part of police
departments throughout the United States."

Police Chief Don English said Rex and Sebastian will be on 24-hour call but
still will work regular patrol shifts. But he'd like to see the pair
concentrate on drug enforcement. English expects his department and the
sheriff's office will combine forces often to combat street-corner drug
dealers.

Sebastian, a 13-year law enforcement veteran, was a narcotics dog handler
for 1 1/2 years when he was employed by the previous DeSoto sheriff's
administration.

Dogs, he said, are "just like little kids." Sebastian eagerly volunteered
to take on the responsibility of Rex when he learned the department would
be getting its own dog.

While Rex is certified in narcotics and crowd control, he must get
recertified in tracking and cadaver searches, Sebastian said.

"He's a multipurpose dog," McCoy said. "And like our patrolmen, he'll go to
school, too. We're going to emphasize training."