David Brooks / Union-Tribune Posted on 12/19/2009 5:31:50 AM PST by radar101
David Brooks / Union-Tribune
Renee Ruff, a police officer who is the mounted unit’s lead trainer, visited some of her four-legged charges at the corral used by the city to house the horses. The mounted unit was used for everything from riot control to patrolling Balboa Park
Junior is one of the highly-trained horses that make up the Police Department’s mounted unit, which is being disbanded.
BALBOA PARK — In the 15 years that San Diego police Sgt. Bret Righthouse patrolled Balboa Park on horseback, he felt at times like a celebrity. People came up to him all the time wanting to pet the horse.
Tour buses would stop upon spotting the mounted patrol. Two-dozen people would line up to have their pictures taken.
“It’s like you are an event, a park attraction or something,” he said.
Scenes like this have come to an end at Balboa Park. The horse-mounted enforcement unit, a part of the 1,200-acre urban oasis since 1983, has stopped patrolling and turned its attention to closing up shop.
The patrol has been disbanded to save $243,000 and help close a $179 million budget gap. Come January, eight horses and all the trappings and equipment will be sold at auction. Seven officers and Righthouse will be reassigned.
Assistant Chief Bob Kanaski said it’s sad to see the program go but it’s out of necessity. The Police Department is also doing away with harbor patrol in Mission Bay Park and reducing the number of dogs in the canine police unit by a third.
“What it comes down to is, we don’t want to lay off any of our police officers,” Kanaski said.
Over the years, the mounted unit has taken on many more responsibilities than its original mission. When it was first established, it focused just on Balboa Park, which in the 1980s experienced a crime spree, including the murder of a noted actor performing at the Old Globe Theatre.
The unit has since been deployed countywide from the border to Bonsall in mutual aid situations. It’s worked in downtown San Diego during major conventions, events and protests; in McGonigle Canyon in the Rancho Peñasquitos area to deal with illegal encampments; and at Qualcomm Stadium for football games. It has also been called upon to help with gang suppression in southeastern San Diego and to provide extra security at the beaches and shopping malls during the holidays.
As word got out that San Diego is disbanding its mounted unit, law enforcement agencies as far away as Canada have contacted the city to inquire about buying the horses, Kanaski said. Stable owners and some officers of the unit have also expressed interest.
What makes the horses so prized is that they are highly trained. They are used to traffic, crowds, riot situations and loud noises such as fireworks and gunshots. They don’t spook easily.
“Not only do they need to be physically sound, they need to be mentally sound,” said Officer Carla Quinn, a member of the mounted unit.
The Police Department goes through an extensive vetting process before acquiring a horse. Officers check out as many as 15 to 20 places to locate a horse with the right demeanor and temperament. The horses go through a 30-day probation period before a purchase is finalized.
The officers and their horses are a tight-knit group because in crowd control-situations, they have to work closely on maneuvers and formations.
“If anybody is not doing it properly, the formation breaks down,” Righthouse said.
As soon as the City Council made the decision earlier this month to shut down the mounted unit, the officers began to wind down. They are making an inventory of equipment — such as trailers, saddles, bridles and horse blankets — in preparation for the auction. And they are saying goodbye to their horses.
“We’ve had our pictures taken with our favorite horse. It’s a keepsake and you can look back,” said Officer Alejandrino Santos III.
His favorite is Major, distinguished by a white star on his forehead and a shiny brown-and-black coat of fur. Santos knows all about Major’s quirks. The 12-year-old is afraid of shadows and manholes.
Officer Hector Emerson half-jokingly said he would like visitation rights granted by the new owner of his favorite horse, Trigger, who stands out with his majestic build, white mane and tufts of hair at the ankles.
“He’s real good with people. He’s just so relaxed. People just love him,” Emerson said.
While all the equipment will be sold or transferred to other city departments, officers of the mounted unit will get to keep their helmets and the special horse badges as keepsakes.
But what they probably will treasure the most are memories of their unique interaction with the public. They know that when they go back to their squad cars, it’s not likely that people will be lining up to take their pictures.
Helen Gao: (619) 718-5181; helen.gao@uniontrib.com
Once the illegals start marching again they are going to miss this unit.
Sad. Let’s hope that the horses sold at auction aren’t sold to Mexican slaughter house buyers.
I was one of the law enforcement personnel assigned for security at the ‘96 GOP Convention.
ACT UP tried to disrupt a function. The horses stopped their effort
General Wainwright said that the military would regret getting rid of the horses because they could go where no motorized vehicles or helicopters could go. Horses can intimidate even the most organized rioters and be extremely effective with an experienced rider. Wainwright’s observation came true in Afghanistan.
I like tradition and I like mounted police units... but I often wonder about their cost efectiveness.
police on - horse - bicycle - car. Where are the tax dollars best spent?
Welfare. You can bet your last dollar that as the fire dept and cops get their budgets hacked, the community centers, midnight basketball, welfare and other crap are barely, if at all, touched.
Thanx for the post Sorry to read this.
These officers should be able to keep their “partners”, just as canine units do.
IMHO, this was money well spent. A shame to terminate it.
They might not have the capability to do so. It’s a lot easier to find room and resources to care for a dog than a horse.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with you entirely, and I suspect if any had serious interest they would have been given first crack at their horse.
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