In 2020, Morgan Grad Brian Corbin became our School Resource Officer after the previous SRO, Spencer Mangs,
received a promotion to corporal. Officer Corbin does a great job engaging with the students, whether it’s roaming the halls, coming into classrooms to teach, or greeting you at the front doors right next to his office. Before coming to Morgan, he was the D.A.R.E. officer for Clinton for the fifth and seventh graders.
After working as the SRO for a few years, Officer Corbin welcomed a new partner on his walks. His name is Jagger, and he is our school’s emotional support dog. His official job title is Clinton Police Department Therapy or Wellness Dog. Many students love seeing him roam the halls, and he has helped many students. Senior Anna Fasulo said, “He does a great job protecting our student body and making sure everybody is safe.” Sophomore Riley Febbrorielo said that “he makes my day better every time I see him.” Some students, like sophomore Brenna Moore, even go as far as saying, “Jagger is my favorite dog.”
Officer Corbin and Jagger were officially partnered on September 30, 2022. They had to go through a month-long bonding process together. Since then, Officer Corbin has made every effort to bring Jagger along with him, both on and off duty. Jagger is a big traveler, and he and Officer Corbin have traveled “everywhere from Maine to Tennessee.” Since Officer Corbin is Jagger’s handler, Jagger lives at home with Officer Corbin and his family. Officer Corbin explained, “At the end of our shift, I have to respect that he puts in his time, and he can just be a dog.”
The Clinton Police Department saw many benefits to having a therapy dog program for various reasons. The CPD “primarily focus on officer/student wellness, victim services, peer support, and community outreach.” To make having a Therapy Dog program work, a huge collaborative effort was needed. Members included the Clinton Police Department, Chief DeMaio, and outside organizations, such as Demand Zero, for their financial support.
With all the efforts, the ultimate decision of yes or no came down to Chief DeMaio, who is a board member of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association for Officer Wellness. He recognized that Officer Wellness has a positive impact on the community, and “strong officer wellness often translates into a better police service for those who live and
visit our community.”
Clinton Public School Superintendent Maryann O’Donnell also has input on the matter, and having a strong partnership between CPD and CPS made this program available to the entire school. Lastly, with everyone giving the go-ahead, Jagger needed to be vetted by an expert in dog behavior, specifically with German Shepherds. Officer Corbin explained, “We utilized Superior K-9 to vet Jagger and to ensure that he had the right temperament.”
With K-9s working in the police force, rescues are not unheard of, however, not too many rescues get a second chance like Jagger has. Since Jagger is a rescue, Officer Corbin is unsure of his age, but the best guess is around 4 years old. Officer Corbin exclaims, “Jagger is a great conversation piece, which allows me to connect with different people and talk about his background, as well as represent our small town here in Connecticut.”
Officer Corbin is a firm believer that K-9s should retire with their handler so as long as that handler is in good standing with their department and the care and maintenance of the dog are met. Both Officer Corbin and Jagger will retire together when the time comes.
Principal Keri Hagness loves having Jagger as part of the Morgan community. She believes “Jagger represents all the goodness that Morgan is and brings joy to people in the morning, and calm to those who need it, and he’s just a good friend.”
