Mounted unit marks a milestone

Cpl. Rosemarie Williams rides Darby on Sunday as Cpl. Joe Berg helps them demonstrate the effectiveness of the New Castle County Police Department's mounted patrol unit. A 25th anniversary celebration was held for the mounted unit in Carousel Park in Pike Creek. (Buy photo) The News Journal/GINGER WALL

Seven-year-old Jorden Williams (left) of New Castle and 4-year-old Finnegan Hogan of Newark pet Elvis.(Buy photo) The News Journal/GINGER WALL

William Brown, a mounted police officer, takes Elvis through small pools to show how the horses are trained not to shy away from water.(Buy photo) The News Journal/GINGER WALL

Cpl. Darla Hoff (left) helps Cpl. Rosemarie Williams put riot gear on Darby. The mounted patrol unit makes an average of 30 to 50 arrests a month.(Buy photo) The News Journal/GINGER WALL

Michael Hogan holds his 2-year-old daughter Shannon as she pets Elvis. Hundreds of people attended Sunday's event.(Buy photo) The News Journal/GINGER WALL

A crowd of about 20 unruly demonstrators dressed in yellow T-shirts, armed with placards and tennis balls shook a New Castle County police car from side to side Sunday in the Carousel Park arena.

But as soon as police officers riding Clydesdales showed up, the crowd dispersed, intimidated by the giant horses.

The officer-and-vehicle rescue, staged during a 25th anniversary celebration for the New Castle County Police Department's mounted patrol unit, illustrated the unit's effectiveness in crowd control.

Between 600 and 1,000 people attended the event in Pike Creek, which was free to the public and was the first of its kind organized by the mounted patrol unit. Adults and children 8 and older got the rare chance to ride Clydesdale and Percheron horses.

"They are so amazing -- just their height and the gloss of their coat," said Renee Johnson, 43, who was standing in line to ride a Clydesdale for the first time. "I usually just go to watch the horses, but I never get on the horses."

Buddy Tucker, a retired police officer and vendor selling cotton candy, said business was brisk.

"Its been very good," said Tucker. He also said the event was a great way for the police department to reach out to the public.

New Castle County's mounted patrol unit was formed in 1981, under then-County Executive Rick Collins, with a federal grant to establish a police force of five officers and a supervisor.

The unit was trained by the Wilmington Police Department, which had its own mounted officers in the 1970s, but dismantled the program due to budgetary constraints.

"Over the 25 years they have played a critical role in public safety," said Chris Coons, New Castle County executive, who presented the mounted patrol unit with an award on Sunday.

Mounted police officers are often dispatched into high-crime neighborhoods that could benefit from a visible police presence. The officers carry weapons as well as radar monitors and radios -- almost all police gear except for computers.

Effective officers

The patrol unit makes an average of 30 to 50 arrests a month and issues an average of 150 to 200 traffic tickets and warnings. The department relies on the unit for crowd control, with studies showing that one mounted officer is as effective as 10 ground officers in such work.

Sgt. Nicole Hyden, who supervises the unit, said horses help officers become more agile and aware of their environment than they are when they're using police cars.

"We are standing 10 feet off the ground and we can see better," Hyden said.

Horses stay pretty calm

The horses used in patrols have a calm demeanor and are trained to be approachable. They aren't bothered by little kids pulling on their tails or reaching out to pet their noses, which helps break the ice when officers go into a community.

"People feel like they can come and talk to you," said William Brown, a mounted patrol officer who has been on the unit for four years. "A lot of people knew my horse's name before they knew mine. My horse's name is Elvis."

But working on a mounted patrol unit is no easy task. Officers have to endure 10 weeks of training before they can serve.

"It's 10 weeks of grueling punishment," said Tom Ptomey, who helped train some of the earliest New Castle County units. "By the time they finish, their knees are like raw hamburger."

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