Hamilton police adding horsepower
September 22, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/639287
Giddy-up. Hamilton's new mounted division will be riding city streets next spring.
The Hamilton Police Services Board approved the four-horse pilot project yesterday, convinced by arguments based on cost and efficiency in crime prevention.
"This is nothing but spectacular," gushed Mayor Fred Eisenberger after Sergeant Marty Schulenberg laid out a business model.
But the pony patrol plan has a soft side beyond the hard numbers of the $72,000 budget.
Schulenberg said police horses have a unique way of transforming crowds and serving as a bridge between mounted officer and public.
"When we had the Toronto forces provide two horses for a trial at Hess Village, everybody in the street began clapping when the horses turned down the street."
He said evidence in other cities where patrols have long been in place shows horses have a calming effect on people because they are big and powerful, but also gentle.
While some American cities have dropped mounted patrols due to budget cuts, the business plan showed mounted units cost much less than cruisers and motorcycles, and that horses can serve for 15 to 20 years and in some cases can do the work of many officers.
Schulenberg said one officer on horseback can search several farm fields in less time than 30 officers would take because the officer observes everything from a higher vantage point and the horse covers more ground. Moreover, the horse's keen ears pick up sounds that help in detection.
Police Chief Brian Mullan said the idea has excited many officers and there would be jockeying to get the four saddles available.
"We have many officers who already have lots of experience with horses so we have a good pool to draw from," he said.
Those spots need to be assigned soon -- the horses must be purchased for a minimum of $5,000 and the horse-and-rider teams must be trained over a four-month period by Toronto Police Services.
Both two-horse patrols would be on city streets and doing park and trail patrols by May.
Councillor Terry Whitehead supported the concept but cautioned veterinary care could be more expensive than projected. The issue of horse droppings was also a worry.
Schulenberg said in an interview he got complaints about what the horses left in Hess Village, but felt a combination of officer training, liaison with city works staff and co-operation with business districts would deal with potential problems.
The Hess experiment impressed people at the Gown & Gavel pub.
"I didn't hear any complaints," said Onai Sharif, assistant general manager. "Staff here saw how the horses stifled any nonsense on the street."