“Stop monkeying around” could take on a whole new meaning if an Arizona police department grants a proposal to train a Capuchin monkey to help with high-risk operations.

According to The Associated Press, Sean Truelove, a special weapons and tactics veteran from Mesa, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb, has looked into whether he can receive a $100,000 federal grant to train one monkey in SWAT techniques.

Move over Rover: There is a new police animal ready to steal your limelight and The Lantern is along for the ride.

Capuchins are generally considered the most intelligent of the New World monkeys and have been used to help the disabled by performing tasks such as retrieving items, serving food and opening or closing doors. Unfortunately, Capuchins are also known as the type of monkey that play organ grinders (think Mo Jo from “The Simpsons”), which is a travesty to the animal.

Many might laugh at the idea that Capuchin monkeys could be used to help SWAT teams, and yes, Truelove admitted his idea came to him in a dream, but The Lantern believes monkeys could be a valuable asset for police.

The training of at least one monkey as a test run should be undertaken as a way to gauge whether more money should be spent on creating a program designed to train multiple SWAT monkeys.

Other programs, such as the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Research Program, use highly intelligent animals such as dolphins and sea lions to detect and mark underwater locations, including the locations of mines. These animals might be at risk, but it is far better to send them than it is to send a human. It is surprising someone hasn’t thought of this earlier, considering police canine programs.

By training Capuchin monkeys, police departments would be making the gritty streets safer for their officers during dangerous situations.

However, for those concerned with placing a monkey in harm’s way, do not expect it to burst into a room filled with terrorists brandishing a gun, or for a 3-to-8-pound monkey to scare someone other than 2-year-old. Truelove believes the monkey could be used for unlocking doors or searching areas in situations that might endanger humans.

As long as the SWAT monkeys are not sent into situations as weapons, The Lantern sees a SWAT monkey program as a step in the right direction.