Monona police present plan to place service dog in Monona Grove schools and department

Officer Luke Blunt of the Monona Police Department told the Public Safety Committee on Feb. 4 that he is seeking approval to place a facility/service dog to support students and officers in the Monona Grove School District and to assist in community engagement.

Blunt, the department’s school resource officer, said the service dog would typically accompany him to schools Monday through Friday and would be used for tactile grounding, behavioral interruption and de-escalation. "I feel like I'm pretty approachable, but, you know, sometimes the badge or the uniform or the title of police officer can take that welcoming presence away. And so a dog, I think will help supplement that," he said.

Custom Canines, the training organization in attendance, described training benchmarks and outcome examples from other districts. Nicole of Custom Canines cited a dog placed after an active-shooter incident in a nearby high school and said the district saw "a just significant benefit having a service dog there." Committee members asked about differences between service dogs and traditional police K-9 units; presenters said service dogs undergo public-access, task-focused training (for panic, autism-related support and de‑escalation), not detection or bite work.

Blunt listed community partners that have offered training, equipment or other support, including Custom Canines, Monona-area Pet Supplies Plus, Badger Veterinary Hospital and local donors. Superintendent Frederick (introduced by the chief) was present and expressed district support for the program; no formal funding or council action was requested at the meeting.

Next steps: The committee heard the presentation and Q&A and closed the appearances portion of the meeting; if the program moves forward it will require coordination with the school district, final agreements on deployment and any necessary council or budget approvals.