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SWAT team not monkeying around

A police unit in America is hoping to supplement its current animal complement of horses and dogs with a capuchin monkey. The SWAT team in Phoenix, Arizona, has put in a grant application for $100,000 (£50,000) to fund the purchase and upkeep of one of the most intelligent primates in the animal kingdom.

Representatives from the SWAT team told ABC News that the monkey could become the ultimate police reconnaissance tool. Capuchins are small (weighing between 3 and 8 pounds), with tiny humanlike hands and puzzle-solving skills. He said the monkey could be trained to unlock doors and search buildings. Dressed in a Kevlar vest and equipped with a video camera and two-way radio, the small monkey would be able to get into places no officer or remote controlled robot could go.

Sean Truelove, an officer with the department, said: “Everybody laughs about it until they really start thinking about it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .