Mounted Police in the Neighborhoods

[boogiechillen]

As I was riding my bike last night through Woodbridge, I happened upon a very heartening sight. A policeman on horseback was patrolling the neighborhood. I rode along side him and asked him if this was going to be a regular beat, and he said it was the first night that mounted police were patrolling Woodbridge, but they had been patrolling various neighborhoods since the fireworks. It was nice to be able to go up to a cop and talk with him, something that doesn't happen when the police are patrolling in their cruisers. Neighborhood children were excited to see the horse and ran along side it down the street. Has anyone else noticed mounted police in your neighborhood?

[gravitymachine]

sounds cool, but i think i'd prefer a couple gang squad cars in my neighborhood instead

[DetroitScooter]

I'm sure that they are fully equipped with radios, and as the old saying sorta went "you can outrun my horse, but you can't outrun my Motorola"

[rajdet]

I haven't seen any mounted, but have seen and talked to them on foot and cycle in Woodbridge.

[Detroitnerd]

Who's going to pick up the horse poop? Do they wear horsie diapers?

[drjeff]

Who's going to pick up the horse poop? Do they wear horsie diapers?

Dealing with horseshit is a small price to pay for having a positive police presence around.

[dcmorrison12]

haha, I like that

"You can have safer streets, but you're gonna have to deal with our shit.... literally"

[Detroitnerd]

Dr. J: I'm not saying it's a bad idea to have equine patrols; the question is just a practical one.

[Alley_Cat]

Home and community gardners need to be on the lookout for the horsies in their neighborhood.
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/horsecompost.htm

[Detroitnerd]

Haha. So you're saying that home gardeners will rush out to look for road apples after the patrol passes through? That's hilarious.

"How do you like them apples?"

[Meddle]

Sounds like a job for Larry and the Darryls - "Anything for a buck"

[DetroitPlanner]

Living near Rouge Park for most of my life I have seen Officers on horseback patrolling the streets up until the Kilpatrick Adminstration when they closed the barn. I missed them and am glad they are back. I am very impressed with the work of the Buffalo Soldiers who have taken the old barn and now teach the neighborhood kids how to ride and care for horses. I wish we had more groups like them.

[mbshan]

I live on Woodward between Midtown and downtown and saw the mounted police traveling down Woodward. Then last weekend while returning from my jog I was jogging down Beaubian[[sp?) near the police lab and saw another mounted patrol there also. I love it! I also see alot of bicycle patrols in my neighborhood also. Keep it up!

[LodgeDodger]

Haha. So you're saying that home gardeners will rush out to look for road apples after the patrol passes through? That's hilarious.

"How do you like them apples?"

I'd be the first one out there with my shovel.

[MIRepublic]

I had no idea the Mounted Division had been reinstated. I just did a little search, and it seems this happened at the end of June. Just to note, their best use is in crowded situations allowing the police to see over the crowd, so it's definitely a speciality. BTW, weren't the stables up in the North End/New Center area by the Madison Exchange?

Thanks for this Barren; too bad you weren't around long enough to see it all the way through.

[grumpyoldlady]

One of the stables used to be on Bethune across the street from the old Bell Telephone building that housed, among others, the Trinity exchange equipment.. We used to look out our office window at the horses being saddled or washed. I loved seeing a mounted officer giving someone in a car a ticket.

[reddog289]

They need to chase some perp into Wayne , down my block . I would pick up the crap.

[Hamtragedy]

I agree with DetroitPlanner.

I've always thought the mounted police gave the police themselves that much more of a community presence. These are the officers who knew that little kids would always want to run over to and touch the horses, while the officer would exchange pleasantries with the adults who were just as interested, or the toursists who were surprised or interested. I usually saw them around the Cultural Center and campus, and downtown during festivals, but I remember them also on Grand River by the 16th precinct. Nice to know they are, kind of, back.

[Lowell]

A mounted officer rode by the Belle Isle handball courts a week or two ago. I thought I was dreaming for a moment. I hadn't seen a mountie on BI for 15? years. I always figured whoever pulled that job had to have the highest seniority on the force. I used to come across them while walking in the forest out there and thought, that's a hell of job but somebody has to do it!

My favorite mounted police memory was when the Nazis sued for and got a permit to rally in the former Kennedy square in the late 70's. That drew out counterdemonstrators, among which were all the far leftwing nut groups. When they weren't arguing among themselves as to who was the most Maoist or Stalinist, they were hurling continual verbal abuse at the mounted police for 'defending the Nazis' which made them Nazis by their logic.

When the Nazis showed up the leftnuts bombarded them with a hailstorm of rocks, bottles, old batteries and more. The mounties did nothing. After two minutes the mighty storm troopers scurried off like rats with the tails between their legs while the lefties cheered and jeered. But not for long. Once the Nazis were driven off the mounties galloped into the square and whacked them, scattered them and arrested the ringleaders. Kennedy square returned to its peaceful norm.

Truly a win-win conclusion.

[Hypestyles]

....how much does the horse patrol cost? just curious.. where are the horses kept?