JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The new chief of school police for Duval County Public Schools was officially sworn in Thursday at a ceremony at the Duval County School Board headquarters.
But it was K-9 Penny who stole the show as she was also sworn in for duty.
New Chief Jackson Short’s first order of business after he was sworn in was to give Penny her oath of office.
He jokingly asked Penny’s handler, Officer J. Addeo, if she could raise her right paw. Instead, she sat at attention during the swearing in before inking the oath with her paw.
Penny is a 1-year-old German wire-haired pointer who is certified in narcotics detection and is one of the few local law enforcement dogs trained to sniff out fentanyl.
“K-9 Penny is the perfect addition to our agency with her playful demeanor and approachable personality,” Short said.
Watch video of Penny’s swearing in below:
The main event Thursday, though, was Short officially taking the reins of Duval County School Police after former police chief Greg Burton had to step down for medical reasons.
Short, a DCPS graduate, said he and his family are lifelong Duval County residents, and he is the son of a retired DCPS principal.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to continue that service with our public school system,” Short said. “I am fortunate that I get to follow Chief Burton and that I know he was doing good things. We are in communication and we’re going to continue to build upon the work that Chief Burton was doing.”
That work included the addition of detectors at high schools designed to flag guns, knives and bombs; Smart IDs and Alert badges that only teachers will have that can send out emergency alerts if they rapidly click the button; and introducing drug and firearm detection K-9s, like Penny and fellow K-9 Maverick, who was also add Thursday’s ceremony.
Short, a University of North Florida and American Military University alum, is a veteran law enforcement officer who served as a department director, division chief and police lieutenant for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
“Jackson is a longtime friend. He is a man of integrity and incredible professionalism and (was) my boss at one point,” said Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who performed Short’s swearing in ceremony.
He was also a chief investigator for the State Attorney’s Office and has an extensive background in leadership training programs such as the FBI Florida Executive Development Seminar.
“I promise all of you that I will bring honor to the badge that we all share together,” Short said to the room of law enforcement members who were there to support him.