Philly Police Announce Re-Instatement of Mounted Patrol

On Thursday, November 4, 2010 Penn’s veterinary school hosted a historic event for the City of Philadelphia. Mayor Michael Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey announced at a press conference the startup of the Philadelphia Police Mounted Patrol. With the Support of the Philadelphia Police Foundation (www.phillypolicefoundation.org) the Police Department expects to have the Mounted Patrol on the streets of Philadelphia by the summer of 2011.

Why Mounted Patrol? When I was a rookie officer in the Philadelphia Police Department assigned to the 25th district in North Philadelphia I was involved in a major civil disturbance. People were throwing bottles and bricks at the police. Suddenly, about 20 Mounted Patrol units galloped down the street like the Calvary. Within minutes the crowd was successfully dispersed with minimal arrests or injuries. I never forgot that night and never stopped thinking about the effectiveness of the mounted patrol style of policing. I have many more pleasant memories of the mounted patrol.