Sadly, the City of St. Paul is disbursing its mounted patrol unit. This unit consisted of officers riding specially trained horses who assisted in community outreach as well as crowd and riot control. The City of St. Paul cited lack of funding for its decision to end the unit. The City of St. Paul will reassign the officers to other units. Three of the horses will be returned to the people who donated them to the Police Department for this service and the other three horses are looking for new homes. These exceptional horses were in constant training to keep the officers and the public safe. Copper, Guinness, Cowboy, Javi, Moose, and Charlie served the City of St. Paul well and deserve to enjoy a peaceful retirement. These horses were selected specifically for their temperament and ability to perform their duties. They also had to pass strict fitness tests and temperament tests. These horses and officers are in constant training. The horses have to be prepared to not get scared and run at loud noises, unusual smells, or flashes of light. The City of Minneapolis maintains a mounted patrol unit and the Minnesota Mounted Posse Association is a group of deputy sheriffs who also maintain a mounted patrol unit.

In the state of Minnesota, the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth maintain mounted patrol units. The Minnesota Sheriff’s Mounted Posse Association (MSMPA) is comprised of volunteer and reserve units of mounted deputy sheriffs across the state who assist the County Sheriff whenever appropriate. Mounted patrol units help with crowd control, crime control, search and rescue, and community outreach. It is estimated that one mounted police officer has the effect of ten officers on foot. Horses provide size, weight, and every officer is 10 feet tall on horseback, enhancing visibility. Mounted police officers can travel quickly to places that squad cars cannot travel.