Briefing Room

Operations Support

The Mounted Unit is allocated (1) sergeant, (7) officers, and (1) stable attendant. The current staff has worked hard to continue meeting the needs of the agency, attending numerous public events and participating in a variety of patrol action plans in addition to their high visibility patrols such as the beach, downtown, the many City parks, and variety of shopping centers. We are also privileged to have a nationally recognized trainer in our ranks, and like our Canine Unit, we conduct all of our own ongoing training. As a result, we have a cadre of professional riders skilled in urban equestrian patrolling as well as crowd control tactics.

All of our horses are healthy donated animals that have been veterinarian screened and approved. The major expense for this operation, aside from personnel costs, comes in the form of caring for the animals, and related equipment costs. The budgetary cost for our Mounted Unit in FY 98/99 is $710,456. Of this total, $636,266 (90%) involves personnel expenses; with the remainder involving various operating expenses including the animal's care, related equipment and the maintenance of the off-site K-9 facility located at the City's Holiday Park.

The Fort Lauderdale Mounted Police Unit was formed in September, 1983, with a goal of enhancing the image of the police department and bringing the citizens and police together in an effort to make their community a safer place for everyone.

The Unit was started with confiscated funds taken from the assets of drug dealers and other criminal enterprises. There were no tax dollars involved with this project which included purchasing all of the assorted horse equipment, horse trailers, and the construction of the first stables located west of Executive Airport in the City's water well fields.

All of the horses used in this Unit have been donated by private citizens and none are purchased. At the present time there are seven (7) horses in the stable, 3 Thoroughbreds, 1 Tennessee Walker, 1 Paint, 1 Quarterhorse, and 1 Hanovarin.

The Mounted Unit has proven itself most effective over the years. Whenever Spring Break rolled around during those earlier years, the Mounted Unit proved to be the only effective means of crowd control and it made believers of its critics in the police department who thought that they would be ineffective. Today officers are quick to call upon the Mounted Unit in crowd control situations.

In addition to their routine patrol assignments the Mounted unit assists other police agencies in Broward County with crowd control duties, attends many career days and other school events, performs in numerous parades, and gives demonstrations by invitation throughout all of Broward County.

Requests from all over the City for horses have kept this Unit very active.

The new facility was completed in January 1994, and is located in Holiday Park, in the downtown area of the city. Because of its central location the mounted unit is able to head out on patrol from the stables and eliminate the time traveling to locations by trailer. This $525,000 state of the art facility, designed by City of Fort Lauderdale Architect Chris Zimmerman, with input from officers within the Mounted Unit, recently won an Award for Excellence in Architecture from the Fort Lauderdale chapter of American Institute of Architects. The stable is open to the public for tours and school field trips and provides an opportunity for people to see the horses up close and personal and see a working stable in operation.

       
Our Beautiful Barn - Inside and Out

Since the inception of the Fort Lauderdale Mounted Unit other mounted units were started by the Pompano Beach Police Department, the Broward Sheriff's Office, the Coconut Creek Police Department, and the Pembroke Pines Police Department. All of these units train together on a regular basis. Because of the mutual aid agreement between police agencies in Broward County these units are frequently called upon to work together as one large unit during events where crowd control is a concern. Together we are able to bring a force of close to twenty well trained mounted officers and horses to a scene and become an effective tool for police managers to have at their disposal.

Since all mounted units have their favorite war stories to tell, we are no different. I selected three short true stories we would like to share with you.

Story One involves Spring Break

Story Two involves an Armed Robbery

Story Three involves an incident with some rowdies

Our officers are proud of the accomplishments and success this unit has been blessed with. We welcome mounted officers, and those trying to start up a mounted unit in their jurisdiction, to visit us when they are in the south Florida area.

Go to Mounted Police Training Introduction

Go to Mounted Police Training Course Outline

MOUNTED POLICE BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

The Mounted Unit consists of one sergeant, seven officers, and one civilian groom. The mounted unit works a flexible schedule to accomodate seven-day-a-week coverage on both day and evening shifts. The mounted unit works normal patrol duties and is assigned in various areas within the City at the discretion of the Operations Support Captain to meet Patrol Division needs. Areas frequently assigned are the downtown, East Las Olas, Riverwalk, Beach, Parks, Coral Ridge and Galleria Shopping Centers, S.E. 17 Street and both North and South Federal Highway corridors. Mounted units also spend time in the neighborhoods of all sections of the City.

SERGEANTS DUTIES:
Ensure daily work schedules and special event assignments are completed and distributed to appropriate police department sections, maintain statistics of activity and files on stable and horse management, handle day to day functions of the unit, assist in budget preparation, ensure training requirements are met for both officers and horses, coordinate related stable management activities such as blacksmith, veterinarian, stable tours etc., inspect horses, tack, and all other related equipment to ensure it is in proper condition. Perform all duties and assignments as required by Operations Support Commander to meet Patrol Division requests. Ride on Mounted Patrol when time permits.

ROUTINE DUTIES FOR POLICE OFFICERS:
Routine patrol functions consist of officers riding their horse a minimum of five hours per shift five days per work week (8 hour shifts) for a total of 25 hours per week. Officers groom their horse prior to beginning work day (1 hour) and bath their horse after their work shift (1 hour - weather permitting). The rest of the time is devoted to travel to patrol assignments, necessary breaks, and tack and equipment cleaning and maintenance of all assigned equipment. Give stable tours to walk in visitors and during scheduled field trips.

SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS AND DUTIES:
Action Plans (6), monitor Stranahan High School students every day after school lets out (45 Minutes every school day), cover the beach from 7 PM to 3 AM every Friday and Saturday night. Patrol Shopping Centers and other shopping areas during peak shopping times. Perform crowd control duties when required during activities such as protests, union strikes, disturbances, etc.

PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOL AND YOUTH FUNCTIONS

School Career Days (12)
Dare Graduations (8)
School Field Trips to Barn (18)
Mounted Demo's (22)
City of Sunrise Recreation Dept. Field Trip (67 Kids)
DARE Programs Barn Tour (700 Kids & Parents Toured in one day) Cub Scouts Tours
Boy Scouts Tours
Boy Scout Jamboree
Brownie Scouts Tours
Girl Scouts Tours
YMCA Tours

SPECIAL EVENTS
David Deal Playday
Sistrunk Festival
Rib Fest
City Picnic
Renaissance Fair
Beach Gala Special Event
Promenade
Las Olas Art Show
St. Patrick's Street Painting
Opening Ceremonies Little Yankee Stadium Cancer Walk Spring Break (4 Weeks of Beach duty for most horses)

COMMUNITY SPECIAL EVENTS
NW Rib Fest
NW 12 Ave Block Bar-B-Que & Federal tenants party
Night Out Against Crime (Poinsettia Park, Floranada Elementary, Bennett Elementary, Riverland Road)
Ground Breaking Ceremony NW 6 St. & 3 Ave
Sailboat Bend Community Tour
Floranada Family Day at Floranada Elementary School
Shady Banks Homeowners event
Poinsettia Park Homeowners event
Progresso Homeowners Appreciation event

PARADES
St. Patrick's Day Parade
Pompano Christmas parade
Pines Day Parade
Parkland Parade
Purple Ribbon parade
Red Ribbon Day Parade
Hospice Parade
North Lauderdale Parade
Plantation Parade
Coral Springs Parade
Miramar Parade

MISCELLANEOUS
Appeared on the Al Green Cable TV Show
Hosted Veterinarian Clinic at Barn (40 Students + 12 Parents) Police Memorial BCC CJI Police Memorial Pompano PD
Politics in the park in Holiday Park
Citizens Academy
Mounted Police Olympics and Competitions
Blockbuster stockholders meetings
POA Children’s Christmas party
Handicapped Children’s Christmas party
Police Survivors Christmas party
Mayor's yearly State of the City address

POLICE ASSISTS (Other Jurisdictions)
Assist Dayton PD Black College Reunion Week
Assist Pembroke Pines PD - Chili Cook Off
Assist Pembroke Pines PD - Toys for Tots - Motorcycle Clubs
Assist Pompano Beach PD - Seafood Festival

TRAINING
Field Force Training with both FLPD & BSO
Coordinate Multi Agency Mounted Training (OJ Mounted Units trained 15 times during our normal training schedule)
Monthly Unit training (Approximately 20 times last year - includes OJ Units training with us)

MOUNTED POLICE TRAINING

CONCLUSION

As can be seen, the training that goes into a Mounted Police Unit is comprehensive and structured. The strengths of this type of police unit can only be effective if constant training is authorized. Repetitive training is essential in order for both horse and rider to be prepared to undertake any assignment they are given.

Training of this type should be done a minimum of once a month (twice a month is preferred when time permits) in order to keep the necessary skill level at its highest.

Briefing Room

Operations Support