The Chron‘s Allan Turner has an awesome story today on HPD’s mounted patrol division, where the point is made that the horses serve a dual purpose:
“When you put an officer on horseback,” said mounted patrol Lt. Randall Wallace, “the good guys can see him and the bad guys can see him.” Weighing up to 1,200 pounds, the horses, which include purchased and donated animals of all pedigrees, are both cuddly and intimidating.
[snip]
Wills is no stranger to the passion of her horse-based job.
“It’s hard to pick out one single incident,” she said, “but I recall being on patrol at the zoo. There was one child who was in a wheelchair. You could tell he was disabled. He couldn’t move his arms. Then he saw the horse, and the horse put its head in his lap and the boy reacted.
“It was so cool.”
Hopefully, reports like this and this are rare exceptions.
Way up north here, The Woodlands uses mounted security patrols in all the areas surrounding The Woodlands Mall, including Market Street. In my own family’s case, we have been known to park wherever we see a horse so we can stop and visit. The riders are great, taking the time to let the kids pet the horse and chit chat about the horse. We like the cuddly part of security!
