Introduction
The use of mounted officers is not new to the police profession. Uniforms of today’s police departments can be traced to its quasi-military heritage, and likewise the use of horses came to early law enforcement efforts. Neither is the use of horses new to the Burbank Police Department. As early as 1957, the Burbank Auxiliary Police had a twelve officer mounted detail. Its job was to patrol the “riverbottom” and other places well-suited for their special skills, to represent the Department in ceremonial functions and parades, and assist in search and rescue missions, especially in the foothills and along river and flood channels.
In our constant attempt to upgrade our level of service, we regularly evaluate non-traditional approaches to policing. In this case, re-visiting the past seems to have provided another valuable tool in our arsenal of methods to fulfill our mission.
The current Mounted Unit, a volunteer unit of Burbank Police Officers who have other primary assignments, was revived in 1995 on an experimental basis, primarily for ceremonial occasions. As their training and expertise has increased, however, they have been used in other details. You may have seen them “riding tall” in the Burbank Village, at the Starlight Bowl, at special events at schools, or in area parades, including Burbank-on-Parade.
Personnel
Officers assigned to the Mounted Unit are selected from volunteers within the Department. Applicants must be Police Officers with at least two years experience. They must be willing to participate substantially on their own time and at their own expense, and to hold themselves to the Unit’s high discipline and training standards.
Each officer assigned to the Unit must provide his or her own uniforms, equipment, horse, and tack, which includes at least the saddle, bridle, breast collar, and blanket. Each officer also is responsible for transportation of the horse to the training or deployment site, requiring access to a horse trailer and an appropriate vehicle. Officer and horse teams complete extensive training, and must demonstrate proficiency prior to tactical deployment.
It is not unusual for an officer with the Mounted Unit to have as much as $5,000 invested in his or her uniforms, equipment, horse, and tack. Out-of-pocket expenses also include board, shoeing and veterinary services for the horse, which could easily average $250 to $400 per month.
Horses
The selection of horses qualified for Mounted Unit duties is very difficult. The generally accepted criteria suggests a gelding quarterhorse between 5-12 years old, sorrel or black in color, 15-16 hands high, that is well-mannered and physically sound. Because the primary factor is the horse’s aptitude and disposition, exceptions are sometimes made in the breed, age and color of the horse. The evaluation process for horses includes a physical examination by a veterinarian, and a practical examination conducted by an expert in the field.
Uniforms
The
working duty uniform of the Mounted Unit consists of a black western hat with a
4” brim, high crown, and a departmental cap piece; a long or short sleeved
regular uniform shirt, with the addition of the “crossed sabers” pin
designating Mounted Unit assignment and reminiscent of the cavalry heritage;
black boot-cut jeans; black, plain toe riding boots; a police Sam Browne belt
carrying all of the equipment needed by a patrol officer; and a “bokken,”
which is a 40” horse baton to be used by the officer to protect the mount in
case of a physical attack by a suspect.
When funding permits, the Unit hopes to obtain formal dress uniforms for ceremonial details. Those would include a “Campaign” hat with gold braid, police riding breeches, high top dress boots, and riding gloves with gauntlets. A distinctive uniform shirt may be designated at that time.
Training
Training is the cornerstone of every special police detail, and a Mounted Unit is no exception. All of the currently assigned mounted officers had extensive riding experience prior to starting with the mounted unit. The basic training for the unit is a 40-hour course, and it begins with a review of equitation, horse psychology, horse care and anatomy. As the horse and rider improve as a team they progress to exercises in crowd control tactics, squad formations, self defense, and officer safety.
A fascinating element of the school is the desensitization training. There the horse and rider team are taught to focus on critical tasks in spite of distractions such as rowdy pedestrians, smoke, flashing lights, sirens, firecrackers and shots being fired.
Even for successful horse and rider teams who graduate from this training and go on to gain experience working in law enforcement situations, training is never over. In addition to regular personal training in equitation, there is a monthly day of group training to work on specific law enforcement situations. This could be as widely varied as training close to a helicopter deploying Special Response Team officers, or having the horses experience working alongside officers on motorcycles. Mounted Mutual Aid training consists of regular sessions with mounted units from other law enforcement agencies, and periodic advanced classes. Officers attend most of the training on days off, vacation or other leave time.
Radio Call Signs
The Burbank Police Department uses Unit-specific radio call sign prefixes. For example, a radio call sign starting with David (D) is a detective unit, while Mary (M) indicates a motor officer, and Paul (P) a park ranger. Mounted Unit Officers use the radio designation Henry (H) for “Horse.”
Citizen Support
The Burbank Police Department Mounted Unit is self-supporting, so the costs related to the horses are the responsibility of the officers who volunteer for the Mounted Unit. They are on duty or overtime for some special assignments, but time for a significant portion of their training and for many of their special appearances is volunteered by the Mounted Unit officers.
The tremendous reception given the Mounted Unit by the citizens of Burbank and surrounding communities has included many offers to assist in providing funding and equipment for the Unit.
To facilitate donations, the City of Burbank has established a special budget account for the Mounted Unit. All monetary donations will be deposited in that account and will be appropriated exclusively for use in support of the Mounted Unit. Equipment donations will be used by the Mounted Unit, or the proceeds from their sale will be used to fund its operation.
Tax deductible donations can be made to the Burbank Police Officers' Foundation. This is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. To specify your donation for the Mounted Unit, please make it payable to "The Burbank Police Officers' Foundation/Mounted Unit." Inquiries should be directed to the Burbank Police Officers' Association at (818) 842-1133.
