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'Coolman' Conan
Percheron/Thoroughbred Cross
3-year-old Gelding
nd still growing)
Service with the City: 10 months (June 2001) |
| The Santa Monica Police Department Mounted Unit was formed in 1988, originally consisting of four full-time officers and four horses. Their primary duty was to patrol Palisades Park, the stretch of park that extends 1.5 miles overlooking the ocean. The Mounted Unit is now assigned out of the Directed Resource Division which is responsible for the downtown business district, Palisades Park, the Pier and the beach areas, where large crowds tend to gather. The horses are extremely effective in crowd management and their high visibility is an effective tool in deterring crime.
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| Law enforcement by horseback is an age-old tradition predating the creation of the first official police department, as horses were the primary means of transportation. Today, patrol via horseback is an attraction to the public, prompting kids and adults alike to stop and chat with the officers about their horses, the community and perhaps to even pet the horses.
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| The unit is now deployed as a collateral assignment consisting of eight officers, one horse attendant and six horses. In addition to routine patrol, they are also specifically assigned to work special events such as concerts, sporting events, special public relations events and as a color guard unit in parades.
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| Horses used by the department are purchased or donated. Santa Monica began their unit with quarter horses, though recently several draft-cross horses from Canada have joined the unit. Officers are pleased with the draft-crosses, as they tend to have a very gentle disposition and are very large in stature. The current horse unit consists of three draft crosses, and three American quarter horses. They range from three to 23 years of age, and vary from 15.2 hands to 16.3 hands tall. When deployed in the city the horses are stabled at the Animal Shelter on 9th Street; when off-duty they relax in a large pasture in Acton.
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| If you know someone who would like to donate a horse, or contribute toward the purchase of a horse, please contact the Mounted Unit at 310-458-2274. If you see us on patrol, please stop and say hello!
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This page was last modified on
01/26/2008
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