The Horse-mounted unit was established in 1934, and is one of America's oldest police equestrian organization in the United States. |
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Horse
mounted patrols are assigned to Federal Parks in Washington, D.C.,
New York City, and San Francisco. These nationally
acclaimed officers and mounts are highly respected for crowd management
techniques. They also function to maintain order during major demonstrations
and special events and have been transported to other sites in the National
Park system to control demonstrations.
The
first use of horses by the United States Park Police followed the general
trial and error
method that prevailed throughout much of police work in those days.
Rock Creek
Park, a 1900-acre tract of heavily wooded terrain lying in the
heart of Washington, D.C. is interspersed with equestrian trails
that required
special policing methods for which the horse is ideally suited.
Large park areas with open spaces, picnic areas, ball fields and
other activities
were soon found to be places where horses could patrol more effectively
than foot officers or motorized vehicles. Because of this, stables
were erected and new horse-mounted boundaries were established. |
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The
United States Park Police Horse Mounted
Unit is one of the oldest established police equestrian units in the
United States. Established in 1934 with one horse that was rented from
a local stable. However, as the value of the mounted unit was proven,
it was expanded to an operational strength that patrols and provides
protection in the Washington Metropolitan Area as well as New York
and San Francisco. |
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The
Nation's Capitol hosts many civic functions each year. Some of them
are annual events and some have a national and international character,
such as the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Christmas Pageant
of Peace and the Presidential Inauguration. During the 1960's and the
1970's, the horses, in addition to being an attractive unit for display
in parades, were found to be highly effective in crowd and traffic
management at these functions. The horses were properly trained and
conditioned to maneuver in crowds of people and through heavily traveled
roadways so they would not endanger the public, themselves, or other
riders. |
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