St. Paul Police Department Shuts Down Mounted Patrol Program
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- St. Paul will be saying goodbye to some of the city's most beloved mascots. The mounted patrol program is ending, and the horses will officially be off duty.
St. Paul Police said this is something no one wanted to happen. The horses are an important part of this department but times are changing.
The horses were an integral part of maneuvering the streets on snow-filled days, and have been around for many years. The mounted patrol program began in 1856. The police chief says injuries to mounted officers doubled in the past four years.
The department told WCCO this was a tough decision.
"Were hearing from people who lived in St. Paul and remember seeing horses, but the most important thing is for us to keep streets safe for everybody," St. Paul Police spokesperson Steve Linders said. "This isn't a decision anyone relishes. It's a tough decision; I know the chief spent a long time researching."
Nine of the patrol officers will be going to squads, and three of them will be assigned full-time to distracted driving, which continues to be a growing issue.
"We have hundreds of people injured. We've had six people die and a lot of those crashes can be attributed to distracted driving," Linders said.
Laura Hugunin works closely with the mounted patrol as a horse masseuse, and said her heart was breaking to see the program discontinued.
"I commend every single officer that has worked with these horses and the outreach that they have done with the children and the community throughout. Don't take that away, that's a structure, that's an outreach," Hugunin said.
Three of the horses have new homes on a farm. The department is looking for good homes for three more of the horses.
The department is also doing away with motorcycles for law enforcement.
