Delaware: The New Castle County Police Department's mounted patrol unit is made up of Clydesdales

DELAWARE -- Although there are numerous mounted patrol units around the country, I have never seen one consisting of nearly all Clydesdales and draft horses. Horses, of course, are always a draw to children and adults alike.. and when you see an officer on a 'Budweiser horse' it makes it even more special.

The New Castle County Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit (MPU) was established in 1981 and is the only full-duty working mounted patrol in Delaware.

It deploys teams of officers and horses on a daily basis throughout New Castle County to enforce traffic laws, patrol high-crime neighborhoods, perform terrain searches, and aid in crowd control.

In addition, the public’s intrigue with the horses provides a unique opportunity for vital public relations within communities, local schools, businesses, and other organizations.

Happy July 4th!

Related links: 

• New Castle County Police Department (Facebook)
• Friends of the Mounted Patrol
• Friends of the Mounted Patrol, New Castle County, DE (Facebook)

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Police Mounted United caretaker wins whistleblower suit against Lt. Daniel McCann, who he said made his life a living hell, and the city which fired him for voicing concerns about the horses' neglect

PENNSYLVANIA -- Joel Allen got his love of horses from his late father, an officer with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit in the 1970s and ’80s.

“My dad always wanted to be a cowboy or a cop,” said Allen, 56. “So he became both.”

Love for his father and for horses led Allen, himself a former hostler (horse caretaker) with the Mounted Unit, to file a formal complaint with his commanding officer in 2014 about what he considered a lack of exercise some horses were receiving.

After that, the commanding officer, Lt. Daniel McCann, accused him of vandalism and likened him to infamous murderers in a formal letter to the police commissioner, Allen said.

A year later, Allen was fired.

“He was passionate about horses,” said Allen’s attorney, Gerald R. Clarke, “and it led to his demise.”

Last week, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Michael E. Erdos ruled in favor of Allen in a whistleblower lawsuit he filed against the city and McCann – who, according to the lawsuit, referred to the hostlers as “s- pickers.”

“The fact that an ordinary s- picker can bring his lieutenant before a court of law, I’m grateful for this country,” Allen said Tuesday. “If this was Russia, I’d be fertilizer.”

In 1986, Allen became a hostler with the mounted unit, a civilian job cleaning, feeding, and caring for the department’s horses, until he was forced to transfer due to downsizing in 1996. The unit was disbanded in 2004 and re-formed in 2011. Two years later, Allen was rehired.

Allen said that the unit then had more horses than officers available to ride them, and that some horses did not get enough exercise. Some were only ridden for two hours a day and others not at all, which can create problems, he said.

“It’s just like little kids who don’t get out, they get cabin fever,” Allen said. “But when you get a horse that’s 2,000 pounds, some of them get depressed and others get aggressive.”

Allen said he voiced his concerns to his supervisors before filing a formal complaint with McCann in December 2014. From that point until he was fired, he said, “it was a whole year of hell in there for me.”

In official paperwork, McCann accused Allen of threatening other employees, making false allegations, and vandalizing the stables, among other things. He also called Allen’s mental health into question twice.

After his first request for a mental health evaluation for Allen was denied, McCann wrote a memorandum to then-Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey seeking the evaluation.

“Personnel assigned to the unit have brought to my attention comparisons of Civ Allen (as described in the media) to the subjects involved in the recent Virginia Reporter and Oregon College shooting incidents; ‘reputation for being difficult to work with,’ ‘an unhappy man,’ ‘makes false accusations,’ ‘outraged,’ ‘many incidents of anger coming to the fore,’ ‘bitter,’ ‘strong hostilities,’ ” McCann wrote to Ramsey. “These descriptors match Civ Allen.”

Allen filed his whistleblower suit against the city and McCann in June 2015.

After a five-day civil bench trial, Erdos found in favor of Allen and against the city and McCann on Friday. A hearing on monetary damages has not yet been scheduled.

 “We’re hopeful that Joel is going to get a fair compensation to take into account that he was at a job he loved and hoped to be until he retired,” Clarke said.

McCann, who was quoted on the Police Department’s blog as saying he intended to ride his job as head of the mounted unit “into the sunset,” was transferred to the department's Personnel Unit in February, a police spokesman said.

McCann did not return requests for comment. A Police Department spokesman and a representative from the City Solicitor’s Office both declined to comment on the lawsuit.

McCann and the city of Philadelphia went on a smear
campaign against Allen after he filed his lawsuit

Clarke said part of the city’s defense was that Allen had an ax to grind with the unit and the department because he felt that his sister, Amy Allen, a onetime mounted unit cop who was convicted of fraud in 2003, was wronged.

But Allen said that’s not why he spoke up.

“I was just trying to get my reputation back,” he said.

(Philly.com - April 12, 2017)

Canada: Newest Toronto police steed named for fallen Sgt. Ryan Russell

CANADA -- His fist punched toward the sky, as if in triumph, when Nolan Russell got to ride the horse named for the father he never got to know.

The 7-year-old boy was among those attending a Tuesday afternoon event at the Horse Palace at Exhibition Place, home of the Toronto police mounted unit, where the city’s newest equine cop was rechristened “Russell” in honor of a fallen comrade.

Photos: Chris So, Toronto Star

In the early hours of a snowy winter day in January 2011, police Sgt. Ryan Russell was struck and killed by a stolen, runaway snowplow. Twelve thousand officers marched with his hearse on the day of his funeral. The 35-year-old veteran of the Toronto police guns and gangs unit was noted as a rising star on the force.

More than five years later, with a horse-in-training in need of a new name, mounted unit Staff Sgt. Graham Queen figured it would be a fitting tribute to name the new purebred Clydesdale after the late officer.

 

“We were talking with the two families — Ryan’s family and then his wife’s family — just to see what their feelings were,” Queen said.

He added that Christine, Russell’s widow, and his father, Glenn — a retired police officer — were very touched by the naming ceremony.

“It brings up memories for them,” he said.

The horse was purchased about six months ago from Carson Farms, which auctions heifers, cattle and horses in Listowel, Ont. At the time, the Clydesdale was named Class Act. Graham said that, as with all the horses in the 25-head mounted unit, the police wanted to bestow their own moniker on the new steed.

“We try to name the horses after important events or fallen people,” he said, rhyming off the names of Russell’s barn-mates. There’s Vimy, for instance, named after the famed First World War battle, and Tecumseh, to honour the historic Shawnee chief who fought the Americans during the War of 1812.

Russell, who roamed the barn Tuesday with the Russell family crest embroidered on his pad cover, is now halfway through his yearlong training program. Graham described the Clydesdale as “gentle and kind” and predicted the horse will hit the streets of the city in the coming months.

 

Chief Mark Saunders spoke at Tuesday’s event, as well as Russell’s father, Glenn. But the first ride of the newly named horse went to Nolan, who was just a toddler when his father was killed.

“He lost his dad when he was only 2, so he doesn’t remember him too well,” Graham said, “but this will be a fitting way to memorialize.”

(The Star - June 21, 2016)

Indiana: Horse patrol is a new asset of Clark County Sheriff's office

INDIANA -- Four new officers that have joined the Clark County Sheriff's Office within the past year might not carry a holster, but they can offer a unique perspective to law enforcement in the county.

The Mounted Patrol, a new program for Clark County, was implemented last spring and officers say it's gaining traction. The program is part of the Clark County Sheriff's Office reserve program, headed by reserve officer Scott Pierce.

The patrol has four horses, each owned and cared for by a member of the reserves or a volunteer, who also cover any associated costs. Pierce and his horse, Dixie, were the first two involved in the patrol, and are now joined by three other riders and horses.

Although the idea of horse patrols predate automobiles, this is the first time it's been used in Clark County in recent history; neighboring counties Scott and Harrison use them.

Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel said the program has been on his list since he was running for office.

"The unique part about a horse, when you have a missing person, particularly in the area of the Henryville State Forestry or Deam Lake, a horse can go a lot of places that you can't take an (all-terrain vehicle,)" he said.

The Mounted Patrol routinely travels the trails at the forestry and Bradly Jones, chief deputy for the department, said it was an area that was missing protection before.

"There never was a presence (there) before," he said. "Not that there's been any issue or any reason, it's just something else to offer. It puts a police presence there."

Jones said that during Thunder Over Louisville this year, the first big event for the patrol, they were able to help someone who was experiencing a diabetic issue, that would not have been noticeable or accessible without the horses.

Noel said that during one of their first events, last year's 4-H Fair, the officers patrolling on horses were afforded a unique view.

"They are elevated so they can see a lot more going on that even what an officer walking on foot can see," Noel said. "Se we were actually able to intervene with some people who were trying to break into cars."

Jones said the patrol will be in parades, community events, and other situations as needed, both as officers with training and arrest powers and as a way to reach out to the public in a friendly way.

"It's just another outreach; people like that. They see positive things out of the police and that's what we're shooting for," he said. "We've had a very good response."

Noel said he appreciates the patrol as a form of engagement between the officers and the community as well.

Photos: Tyler Stewart

"It serves a practical purpose but (also) what we've been trying to do is encourage more kids and teenagers particularly, but everybody really, to see that the sheriff's department, that police officers, are approachable — to strike up that dialogue in friendly conversation where there's that trust that builds up."

Jones said he's sees the program as a fixture in the department now, though he's not sure what's next for growth.

"Now we'll just build around what we've got, and expand as needed," he said. "As it progresses, we'll learn what we might need to add or take away. Just like anything else, it's a learning curve."

(News and Tribune - June 20, 2016)

New York: NYPD Mounted Unit cop lassoes mugger fleeing Midtown subway station

NEW YORK -- An NYPD Mounted Unit cop and his trusty steed Brooklyn corralled in a mugger seen fleeing a Midtown subway station, officials said Wednesday.

Police Officer Andrew Youssef was patrolling with Brooklyn on Sixth Ave. near W. 47th St. about 8 p.m. Monday when a passerby told them that a fight had broken out at a nearby Rockefeller Center subway station.

When he went to investigate, the 10-year NYPD veteran saw a suspicious 23-year-old man exit the train station, cops said.

NYPD officers Stagliano and Youssef were mounted on police
mounts "Pugsley" and "Brooklyn" when they caught a suspect
 for robbery on June 21, 2016. (NYP/via Twitter)

Seconds later, a 23-year-old woman ran out of the station with a bruised face, claiming that someone had just punched her and stolen her purse.

Realizing that the mugger was the man who had just fled the station, Officer Youssef radioed for backup and trotted off after the crook, cops said.

Brooklyn’s Belmont Racetrack-worthy gait quickly made up the difference between the fleeing thief and Youssef, officials said.

The horse and officer managed to stop the thief and bring him back to the train station where the victim identified him as her attacker, cops said.

“He saddled on over and arrested him,” a police source said. “Mounted cops aren’t allowed to keep their horses unattended.”

Fellow Mounted Unit Officer David Stagliano and his horse Pugsley assisted in the grab, officials said.

The thief, identified by police as Michael Reddish of Brooklyn, was charged with robbery, police said. His arraignment was pending Wednesday morning.

The woman was taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital for observation, cops said.

NYPD Special Operations Chief Harry Wedin congratulated the two cops in a tweet.

“Great job POs Stagliano & Youssef while mounted on ‘Pugsley’ & ‘Brooklyn’ apprehending a perp for robbery,” he wrote.

(NY Daily News - June 22, 2016)

New Mexico: Marcus Griego, 14, charged with felony after terrorizing Trump supporters and hitting police with rocks

NEW MEXICO -- The 14-year-old accused of throwing a rock at officers during the riot following Donald Trump’s Albuquerque rally has been charged with aggravated battery on a peace officer but his defense attorney says the charge is too much.

After the dust settled from the riot following Donald Trump’s Albuquerque speech, the search was on, for 30 suspects the Albuquerque Police Department says targeted their officers. So far they’ve arrested three, including 14-year-old Marcus Griego.

Photo taken by police of Griego

“The commander actually witnessed Marcus throw a rock directly and hit the sergeant that was standing next to him,” said APD Spokesperson Celina Espinoza.

APD says a picture of Griego was taken after the rock was thrown and that officers confronted him.

Espinoza said, “My understand is that Marcus kinda laughed it off and kinda just pretended it wasn’t a big deal.”

Griego is charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery on a peace officer. His defense attorney says Griego did go to the Trump protest but denied to his parents that he threw a rock.

I'm including this article because I saw in another article that they accused him of hitting a police horse with a rock. 

“They talked to him and said do we need to get you an attorney and he said 'I didn’t do anything',” said Griego’s Attorney Tom Clear.

The District Attorney’s Office intends to prosecute the 14-year-old as an adult. His attorney says that’s an over-reaction, and felony charges are too much. APD seems to agree.

“We don’t want to make an example out of a 14-year-old. We want to be able to guide and lead him in the right direction,” said Espinoza.

APD is open to lesser punishments like having Griego go on ride-alongs or work at the horse stables but his attorney says prosecutors seem like they’re going for the jugular in this case.

Clear said, “I did not see that from the District Attorney today, certainly to ask for a $20,000 cash only bond, would indicate a completely different scenario than one where they’re not trying to destroy this child.”

Griego has no prior criminal history. The judge set his bond at $10,000 cash or surety. He’s currently being held at the juvenile detention center.

(KRQE - June 9, 2016)

Arizona: Drug smuggling illegal alien punched border patrol horse, say police

ARIZONA -- A woman arrested during a drug smuggling bust was also booked into jail on an animal cruelty charge after she reportedly punched a border agent's horse.

Border Patrol agents were conducting enforcement operations near Why, Ariz. late at night on May 21 when they spotted a group of about nine people wearing large backpacks in the desert.

According to police paperwork, the area is frequently used by illegal immigrants and narcotics smugglers trying to get to Interstate 8.

Ground units located the group and took them into custody after they tried to run away. Karla Banegas-Banegas, one of the suspects in the group, struck a Border Patrol horse "in the face with a closed fist," paperwork says.

Seven backpacks were located nearby with what was determined to be 374 pounds of marijuana. The street value of the marijuana is worth more than $500,000.

A few people in the group admitted to smuggling the drugs, but Banegas-Banegas remained silent.

 

 

I don't know if these Border Patrol agents were involved, but these
photos show the extremely dangerous job they do on a daily basis
with NO thanks from our current president.

Banegas-Banegas was transferred to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and booked into jail on counts of drug possession and transport, as well as animal cruelty to a work animal.

Her bond was set at $20,000 at her initial court appearance Tuesday. She doesn’t have a lawyer yet.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Karla Banegas-banegas
Gender: Female
Birthdate: 01/15/1987
Height: 5'01"
Weight: 130 lbs
Hair Color: BLACK
Eye Color: BROWN
Arrest Age: 29
Date: 05/22/2016
Agency: Maricopa County, Arizona
Charges
#1 ANIMAL CRUELTY/WORK ANIMAL

(ABC15 - May 24, 2016)

Missouri: April Foster, 29, charged for slapping police horse at Kansas City riot

MISSOURI -- A woman in the midst of the protests outside the rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump on March 12 was arrested on Friday for abuse of a police service animal.

According to a police report, an officer mounted on horseback was involved in police crowd control outside the Midland Theatre when protesters began moving into the street and blocking traffic, approaching officers on foot. After police verbally instructed the protesters back onto the sidewalk, the crowd continued moving forward and mounted officers moved into position to block the crowd.

Police said that's when the suspect, April J. Foster, 29, approached an officer and his horse, Dan, and began screaming in the horse's face in an attempt to scare him. When that did not work, Foster reportedly slapped the horse in the face with an open hand.

After striking the horse, Foster fled toward the back of the crowd, where police were unable to apprehend her at the time.

The Kansas City Star reported that a photographer witnessed an incident of a woman slapping a police horse.

Police later received a tip via the TIPS hotline that led them to locating the suspect.

Foster was charged with abuse of a police service animal. She was released after posting $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.

PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch released a statement on the incident.

"All animals feel pain, stress and fear just like we do, and they deserve our respect and protection. Horses are highly sensitive prey animals, and this poor horse was without a doubt already under a tremendous amount of stress as a result of the chaos, the crowds, the deafening noise of the angry protesters, and more. PETA commends the person who called the tip line so that this woman’s apparent cruelty to this horse does not go unpunished."

Police said there were four other arrests made in relation to the Trump protests, and although the situation became tense and pepper spray was used on the crowd, the protests were mostly free of large scale violence.

(Fox4KC - March 19, 2016)

Florida: Miguel Paniague and Hector Ojeda Febus arrested in stolen horses case, deputies say

FLORIDA -- An alert jogger and some detective work led to the arrests of two men accused of stealing horses used by a local sheriff’s office, according to deputies.

The horses, Shorty and Bentley, were stolen earlier this month from a pasture just south of Orlando International Airport on the Orange-Osceola county line, investigators said.

 

The horses are used by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

A jogger who saw a WESH 2 news segment about the stolen horses said he spotted the animals near the University of Central Florida.

The horses, which are in good condition, were later located and returned to their owners.

Documents in the abandoned house where the horses were found led to the arrests of Miguel Paniague and Hector Ojeda Febus (aka Hector Manuel Febus Ojeda aka Melanie Febus Ojeda aka Hector Manuel Febusojeda), deputies said.

The suspects were charged with theft.

 

(WESH - May 18, 2015)

Police horse recovering after pit bull attack

NEW YORK --A police horse is recovering with “a few extra apples and carrots” after being bitten twice by a pit bull on Wednesday while on patrol in the East New York area of Brooklyn, police said.

While on their way to the 75th Precinct at about 12:50 p.m., the dog charged at Officer Luis Ramos, who was riding the horse, Pompey II. The dog, which came out from a house on Essex Street, near Sutter Avenue, then bit Pompey II in the right chest and inner left leg.

Police said Ramos was able to keep control of Pompey II and keep the dog in front.

A second officer, Laurene Bove, and her horse, Limerick, then came to the pair’s rescue, forcing the dog to retreat back into the yard. The dog’s owner then came out and took control of the pit bull, who was later taken to the Center for Animal Care and Control.

The dog is being held by AC&C on a ten day rabies observation while the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducts an investigation, as required by law, an AC&C spokeswoman said in an email.

Pompey II was taken back to the stables in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, where he was treated by a veterinarian. He is expected to make a full recovery after a few days’ rest.

(AMNY - April 22, 2015)

Man punished after dog attacks police horse

UNITED KINGDOM -- Jardain Woodroffe, 20, of Warley Street, Bethnal Green, pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates’ Court on February 20 to failing to stop his “out of control” dog causing unnecessary suffering the horse.

The violent attack took place on November 9 and left the horse with 20 puncture wounds that needed attention from a vet.

Two mounted officers from Bow Stables were riding in Mearth Gardens, Bethnal Green, on patrol.
As they entered the park, a large brown dog, likened to a Staffordshire bull terrier, ran at the horses and began to dart around their legs, causing them to panic.

The dog then inflicted 20 puncture wounds to the belly and legs of one horse, named Jamestown – wounds that required being taken to the vet.

Woodroffe, the dog’s owner, was found to have not done enough to control the dog.

He was issued with a Dog Control Order, telling him to make sure his dog is muzzled and on a lead in public, and ordered to pay a fine of £85.

PC Stephen Rodgers, wildlife crime officer for Tower Hamlets, said: “This was a very serious case that shows how much damage can be caused in a short space of time when a dog is allowed to be out of control.

“It was thanks to the quick thinking and expert horsemanship of the officers at the scene that further injuries were avoided on this occasion.

He added: “It is hoped that this case serves as an example in that where dog owners fail to adequately control their dogs in public, it will be taken seriously by police and owners will be prosecuted where appropriate.”

PC Rodgers added that Jamestown has made a full recovery and is back on duty.

(East London Advertiser - Feb 27, 2015)

Mounted officer shoots and kills dog after it attacked the police horse he was riding

FLORIDA -- A mounted police officer shot and killed a dog in a Miami park after the animal started biting the legs of the horse he was riding.

 

According to Miami police, the officer was on patrol inside Domino Park when the dog, believed to be a stray pit bull, came up and began biting at the horse.

 

Witnesses say the officer pulled his mount away, but after the dog followed him around the park, he decided there was no option but to shoot the animal.

Another witness, Jacroy Rivas added that the horse was kicking the dog before the officer shot it, and may have kicked it in the mouth.

 

She described hearing a gun shot and seeing blood on the dog before watching it walk away to die.

Police said the horse, named Sara, was taken to the Miami Police stables and had 'deep injuries to a front and hind leg.'

(Daily Mail - July 22, 2014)

Pit bull attacks police horse

CALIFORNIA -- An LAPD police horse was attacked by a pit bull outside Dodgers Stadium today ... when the dog jumped out of a car that was in line to enter the stadium for today's game ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement tells us the horse (named Duck) was on patrol to help keep the peace for the Dodgers vs. Giants game -- when the dog escaped from a Dodger fan's car and bit the horse in its hind leg.

We're told the horse kicked the dog in the head ... and the animals were separated. Neither the horse nor the dog suffered any serious injury.

Law enforcement tells us no charges will be filed ... and hope this incident will be the worst of their problems today.

(TMZ - April 4, 2014)

Portsmouth Virginia K9 Officer starves police horse to death; gets away with it.

VIRGINIA -- A Portsmouth police officer and his wife have been found not guilty of animal cruelty.

Brian Davis and Jennifer Davis of Suffolk faced two misdemeanor charges stemming from the death of a retired Portsmouth police horse.

General District Court records show the Davises were acquitted Tuesday. They were arrested in late July.

At the hearing, they admitted they had not provided any veterinary care for Amy. They owned the police horse Amy for almost four years.

Aren't the police supposed to take care of their own???

Owners called Suffolk authorities in May saying they had recently adopted the horse, but it came to them in poor condition and had to be euthanized.



Look what Brian Davis and Jennifer Davis did to Amy

Portsmouth police said Brian Davis had been assigned to the department's K-9 unit. He is now in an administrative assignment.

(Hampton Roads - Oct 31, 2013)

Earlier:

• Couple says officer starved horse
• K-9 officer charged with animal cruelty

Doomed horse now a new rookie Cleveland cop

OHIO -- He was a horse with no hope - mistreated and malnourished when he was rescued from the slaughter truck.

He was steps away from a trip to a dog food factory when a woman noticed the Tennessee Walker and bought him.

The woman sent a picture of the horse to Beverly Ball of Sandusky, who instantly felt connected. She named him Jakar. She says it means "compelling love," and that's what she gave him for the following year.

She nursed him, trained him and loved him back to health, but it didn't take long for her to realize this horse really wasn't meant for her.

At less than 5 feet, she couldn't lift her foot into the stirrup on the giant horse without the help of a stepladder. That's when she thought to email the Cleveland Mounted Police Unit to see if they had a need for a new recruit.

 

She instantly received a reply, and the following day Sgt. Mark Medwig took a trip out to Sandusky to check out the horse.

He had the perfect temperament, disposition, fearlessness and gentleness to become a police horse, and in April he started his training. Jakar is the first rescue horse on the unit.

Three months later, he finished probation and is now an official CPD rookie, still learning the ropes but making huge strides.

He's already been to his first Browns game, Public Square and even assisted in a bust. More importantly, he gets along with the seven other horses in the unit.

The Cleveland Mounted Police have a rich history. Formed in 1905, they've participated in presidential inaugurations, funerals, parades, international horse shows and even the 1933 Chicago World's Fair.  

But their job is truly meant to protect and serve, and they also help fight crime, break up rioting crowds and act as goodwill ambassadors for the city.

In 2004, the unit lost its funding from the city and almost was lost to history until the community began donating to keep the horses on city streets. 

Medwig says it costs about $40,000 a year for their basic needs and the Unit is now a 501c3. 

On Sept. 14, horse lovers can participate in the Cleveland Mounted Police parade at the muni lot. It's a three-mile ride through the city on horseback.

The Cleveland Mounted Police horse stables are located at 1150 East 38th St. and are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visits are free.

(WKYC - Aug 27 2013)