September 21, 2006

Giddy-up!

No horsing around: Two events will celebrate San Jose Police Mounted Unit’s 20th anniversary

Group formed to save popular but cash-strapped program

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Only one crook could stop a 10-foot cop with 20 years experience under his belt—whoever sets San Jose budget constraints.

Members of the San Jose Mounted Unit pose proudly. Photo by Justin Petersen

The San Jose Police Department will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular Mounted Unit this fall. The nonprofit organization Friends of the San Jose Mounted Unit, founded by former San Jose vice mayor legislative aide Denelle Fedor, is dedicated to preserving the horse patrol in the nation’s 10th largest city. “The mounted unit is effective because you have police officers that are 10 feet tall,” said Fedor.

Although The San Jose Mounted Unit is an integral part of the police department, it remains on the tier-two city budget for cuts. In 2000, the Mounted Unit was cut in half leaving only eight officers to patrol on horseback, compared to the 16-officer unit between1986 and 2000.

To celebrate the unit’s anniversary and highlight the importance of the program, two anniversary events are scheduled in the coming weeks:

‘Hoofing It For Kids’ Safety’ this Saturday
“Hoofing It For Kids’ Safety,” a walk and free resource fair, is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning across the street from the HP Pavilion “Shark Tank” at the Arena Green downtown. The event will feature fingerprinting booths and booths providing kids with information about MySpace safety, car seat demonstrations, art tables, clowns, jump houses and goodie bags for children. Kids are also welcome to meet the police horses that help officers sit tall and fight crime.

Registration will take place from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 9:30 a.m.

“Gone are the days of block parents,” said organizer Fedor. “Far too often parents and the community do not know who to contact or where to go to become more knowledgeable about children's safety. Hoofing it for Kids Safety is designed to empower the community and parents on how to keep our children safe.”

The walk will begin and end at the Arena Green. Along the walk parents and their children will meet Smokey the Bear, and drink “Mounted Unit punch.” Children are encouraged to make signs, banners and pictures showing their support for the San Jose Mounted Unit for all the good work they do, especially with their schools.

Goodie bags will be given to children after the walk. Although the event is designed with children's safety in mind, all members of the community are encouraged to attend, with or without children. (However, no pets please)
Tuck Younis, San Jose assistant chief of police added, "As the former captain of the San Jose Mounted Unit, I know firsthand how imperative it is to maintain a mounted unit patrol in order to keep the 10th largest big city safe and promote positive relationships with the community and the police officers."

Sponsors of "Hoofing it for Kids Safety" include: KRTY/KLIV, NBC 11, Times Media Community Newspapers, The Polly Klaas Foundation, SummerHill Homes, Councilmember and Supervisor-elect Ken Yeager, San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Countrywide Home Loans, San Jose Credit Union, The Extreme Scream, Camera Cinemas, Vigal Coffee, San Jose Country Club, Able Printing and Peggy Sues.

‘Swing for the San Jose Mounted Unit’ Golf Tournament Oct. 23
The second event is a golf tournament benefiting the unit to be held Monday, Oct. 23 at the San Jose Country Club.

The Oakland Raiderettes cheerleaders will be among many special guests to attend the tournament.

The golf tournament is sponsored by KRTY/KLIV, NBC11, Times Media Inc., your fellow police officers and business associates in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the San Jose Police Mounted Unit.

Call 408-275-6652 for more information and to register for the golf tournament.

A little history
While police officers on horseback began in San Jose as the only answer to fighting crime during the 1800s, the unit was shut down entirely for some time in the early 20th century. It was resurrected as a volunteer program in 1970 and continued as such until former Police Chief Joe McNamara and former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery raised a reported $100,000 in the local business community to formally reinstate the program in 1986. The goal was to maintain security in city parks, provide crowd control in the downtown, in addition to other citywide law enforcement responsibilities.

McNamara and many other police personnel have stated that the Mounted Unit is not only an effective policing tool for the growing community, but an equally successful community outreach tool as well.

Scott Knies, the executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association, agrees. "An officer on horseback is like a 10-foot cop. One mounted officer carries the impact of a half dozen beat officers; plus you can pet the horses."

The Mounted Unit was fully funded between then and 2000, when, according to Fedor, the budget was chopped in half. The city’s tallest and friendliest unit of crime stoppers have been severely affected by the subsequent budget cuts.

Yet, Police Chief Rob Davis remains confident that the Mounted Unit is healthily intact in San Jose, regardless of whether the budget has become more restrictive or not. “The mounted unit is invaluable in terms of providing additional tools and resources in handling the crowd at events. People see the horses high above them. In unruly crowds, the mounted unit has proven to be very effective.”

“You have someone people can see and it makes them feel safe,” said Fedor. “It helps the community members feel like they are friends with the police unit. If eight officers arrive in a car, there is likely something wrong. But if it’s eight on a horse, something is good. People are willing to talk to police officers when they are on a horse.”

Fedor acts as president of FSJMU, assembled in 2005 to support the needs of police officers and the horses that carry them in the San Jose Mounted Unit.

Davis also acknowledged that an officer on horseback mitigates interaction between officers and the unruly crowd. People are more likely to admire the horse and officer controlling it than to act out.

Davis insists that maintaining the Mounted Unit is indeed a worthy cause. “We get more positive comments from citizens regarding officers on horses and bikes downtown than anything else,” he said. “People like it. Residents, tourists and others comment about how safe they feel.”

CEO/President of San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Pat Dando adds, "The San Jose Mounted Unit are the Ambassadors of Goodwill for the city of San Jose. Not only are they a critical policing unit; but they have become honored guests at neighborhood and community events across our city. The San Jose Mounted Unit plays a vital role in keeping San Jose the safest big city in the nation."

Overall, members of FSJMU aim to protect the existence of the Ambassadors of Goodwill with dignity, enthusiasm and respect.

“Police can’t measure preventative success,” said Fedor, noting the value of officers on horseback. “Sometimes people are upset because there are too many police officers downtown. [With the Mounted Unit], citizens feel safe, but they aren’t threatened by a police presence.”

For more information on the Friends of the San Jose Mounted Unit organization visit the group’s Web site at
www.sjmu.org