Mounted Patrol Unit

Mission

The mission of the Mounted Patrol Unit is to provide mounted resources to the sheriff’s office for the purposes of community outreach, routine patrol, search and rescue, high crime area disruption and crowd control.

Strategy

The strategy behind using mounted deputies in law enforcement today is that they create a visible and approachable law enforcement presence in neighborhoods where this presence is needed the most.  Recent studies by Oxford University have shown that increased visibility by these "four-legged law officers" lowers crime and increases public trust and confidence in their law enforcement.  

Lt. Rich Anselmi & Benelli

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Deputy Michelle Moore & Savannah

Savannah Moore

Deputies Love Bug and Happy Times (Certified Therapy Horses)

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All our great volunteers!

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Deputy Longfellow and Splash

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Deputy P. Holland with Chance and Blackjack

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Deputy B. Holland with Billie and Jesse

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And Lots of Teamwork!

Mounted Unit Group

About

The sheriff’s office began efforts to restart it’s mounted patrol unit in 2019 after 30 years of not having one. The last time the sheriff’s office had a mounted patrol unit was 1989. Read more about the history of our mounted patrol HERE.

The new unit became fully functional in June of 2020. The mounted patrol unit promotes community safety and partnership by employing horses (a creature everyone loves) to assist deputies with the various aspect of its mission statement. Particularly, horses help deputies with community outreach and routine patrols to help enhance the overall sheriff’s office mission by fostering community spirit. While citizens may not feel comfortable approaching a deputy in a patrol car to chat, they generally love to talk to a deputy on a horse!

Citizen and Teen Volunteers

The mounted patrol deputies work alongside volunteers from the community who range in age from 14 years old and up. These specially selected volunteers assist deputies with community outreach programs and ride with deputies on routine patrols to foster community spirit and enhance the safety of both the deputies and the horses. These volunteers assist the sheriff’s office in staying involved, up to date, and relevant with current community issues.

The horses used by deputies and volunteers are personally owned by their riders who are responsible for the daily care and maintenance including feed, hay, bedding, housing, veterinary and farrier expenses. The horse and rider combination are fully trained before being allowed to work in a law enforcement capacity and interact with the public. The unit accepts donations to supplement the maintenance of the horses and equipment utilized to ensure the safety of the horses and riders.

Please contact mountedpatrol@arapahoegov.com if you have any questions about the unit, or are interested in becoming a volunteer.

Donations

The Mounted Unit is funded almost entirely off private donations.  If you would like to support our efforts in the community you can make donations through our partner, Back the Blue K9 Force, a 501c3 that supports Law Enforcement service animals, at: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLAWA2WZY0A84/checkout/EMKOMRF3CB7VT5OGAU7BMVX2 

Please indicate in the notes/comment section that you would like your donation to support the Mounted Unit. 

The Happy Police Horse (children's book)

The Mounted Unit started a "Reading to Horses" program in 2020. The team visits elementary schools, and students are able to increase their literacy and comprehension skills by reading out loud to the horses. A book was specially created for this program, entitled "The Happy Police Horse". The book emphasizes the importance of reading and education in children's lives. Thanks to our generous sponsors, each child who participates in the program gets to keep a copy of the book. 

February 2022 Update: The Happy Police Horse is restocked and ready for purchase! To get your copy, please visit https://www.backthebluek-9force.com/arapahoe-county-sheriff-mounted-unit.html