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Published: 2012-11-06 16:59:00
Updated: 2012-11-06 17:00:05

New horses to join Raleigh Police mounted patrol


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The Raleigh Police Department on Tuesday welcomed its two newest officers – each with four legs.

Zeus and Willow, a pair of 5-year-old horses donated by their owners, will join the city’s Mounted Patrol Unit after they are trained. Officers in the mounted patrol use the horses for crowd control, traffic control, making arrests, foot chases and issuing tickets.

Officials said the new animals will replace two retiring horses, Blade and Flash.

Flash is 18 years old and has been with the unit for 10 years. Blade is 14 years old and has been on patrol for six years, but he is retiring because of a foot injury. The animals are being returned to their original owners, city officials said.

The new horses will undergo a 60-day trial period, followed by six to eight months of training. Officials said the training includes exposure to the sound of gunfire, sirens, lights and other things the animals may encounter while on patrol.


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@kermit60 It really is not something IMO that should be compared. Your not going to get a patrol car in areas of mass occupation during a chaotic moment where as you could a mounted officer. Not only to include that the Horse can be trained to help in detaining situations, like a reigning horse helps his rider during "cutting and herding". Until we can create K.I.T ..... no suck luck from a patrol car. Oh and let's not forget that Mounted Officers can also go in heavy wooded areas during searches. Horses.....vet, food, and housing, training Patrol Car- maintenance, repair, gas

What is the cost of a horse to include training and upkeep versus the cost of a patrol car?

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