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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Mesa Arizona Police Want Monkey on SWAT Team
2005-04-19
The Mesa Police Department is looking to add some primal instinct to its SWAT team. And to do that, it's looking to a monkey.

Mesa Officer Sean Truelove, who builds and operates tactical robots for the SWAT team... is spearheading the department's request to purchase and train a capuchin monkey, considered the second smartest primate to the chimpanzee. The department is seeking about $100,000 in federal grant money to put the idea to use in Mesa SWAT operations.

The monkey, which costs $15,000, is what Truelove envisions as the ultimate SWAT reconnaissance tool. Since 1979, capuchin monkeys have been trained to be companions for people who are quadriplegics... Truelove hopes the same training could prepare a monkey for special-ops intelligence...it could unlock doors, search buildings and find suicide victims on command. Dressed in a Kevlar vest, video camera and two-way radio, the small monkey would be able to get into places no officer or robot could go.

If the grant goes through, Truelove plans on learning how to train the monkey himself and keeping the sociable monkey at home, just like a K-9 officer would. He projects that $85,000 in grant money would outfit the monkey with gear and pay for veterinarian care, food and habitat for three years.
Posted by:Pappy

#12  Monkey crap.

Mr. Monkey will peg crap at the criminals.

Posted by: Smart Crap   2005-04-19 10:48:50 PM  

#11   Dressed in a Kevlar vest, video camera and two-way radio, the small monkey...

Why don't they just transplant the monkey's brain into a robot body?

Posted by: SteveS   2005-04-19 8:59:04 PM  

#10  recpurkussions

What are they? Can I have them too?;-)
Posted by: Sobiesky   2005-04-19 7:52:47 PM  

#9  Is there an Indian/India population in the area? The mere threat of an offical Monkey Man will have all sorts of interesting recpurkussions.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-04-19 7:51:14 PM  

#8  Mesa Police Department, don't touch my monkey.
Posted by: Shprockets   2005-04-19 5:22:49 PM  

#7  White mice? Dolphins? ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-04-19 5:00:09 PM  

#6  
Mesa Officer Sean Truelove, who builds and operates tactical robots for the SWAT team... is spearheading the department’s request to purchase and train a capuchin monkey, considered the second smartest primate to the chimpanzee.
So... chimpanzees are the smartest, capuchin monkeys are in second.... who's in third, gorillas, orangutans, or humans?
Posted by: Phil Fraering   2005-04-19 3:10:48 PM  

#5  LOL mojo! PETA to boycott this decision in 5, 4, 3, 2....
Posted by: BA   2005-04-19 1:45:51 PM  

#4  Trunk Monkey!
Posted by: mojo   2005-04-19 1:11:14 PM  

#3  "OK to Break and rake BONZO!!!"
Posted by: Tkat   2005-04-19 12:47:49 PM  

#2  "What the...? There's an Organ Grinder and an armed monkey on the porch. Youse guys stay down!"
Posted by: Frank G   2005-04-19 12:11:09 PM  

#1  "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"


Posted by: Steve   2005-04-19 12:04:32 PM  

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