Motto:
No terrain too rough, no task too tough.
The
Fort Worth Police Department Mounted Patrol began in the late 1970's
in response to transient problems occurring in the Stockyards area.
There was also a desire on the part of the citizens in this historic
section of the city to see an officer on horseback both as a working
police officer and as a reminder of our western heritage.
In
the early days, there wasn't a formal mounted patrol unit. An officer
who was able to ride and who owned a horse, tack, and trailer was
chosen to be the first Fort Worth police officer to ride a horse
in several decades.
As
one officer left, another one would step in knowing they had to
provide their own equipment, care for their own horse and do the
job with the resources they could provide. One such officer, Jack
D. Powers, was the second officer to serve in the early Mounted
Unit. Officer Powers was very well known both in Fort Worth and
throughout the world due to magazine articles about him. Even a
few wanted persons would ask for him by name because they only wanted
to turn themselves over to him.
As
time went by, slowly the city began providing minor services such
as basic veterinary care, feed, farrier, and a two-stall barn. In
1987, a volunteer mounted patrol was organized. To qualify, those
interested had to bring their own horses and try out. What began
as a "public relations" unit would soon become a fully
established unit within the department with a little bit of help
from some friends.
Wanting
to give something back to the city, the North Fort Worth Business
Association extended a helping hand to the mounted unit. When they
learned that the two-stall barn was just not adequate, a first-class
eight-stall barn with water and feeder and concrete slab was built.
This gave the volunteer mounted unit a place to house their horses.
Shortly
thereafter, Chief Windham began to assign officers to the unit on
an "on loan" basis. They worked the Stock Show, downtown,
or wherever they were needed.
However,
it was obvious by the response from the public and business owners
that more was needed. In the Spring of 1987, Chief Windham held
a breakfast with some business leaders and challenged them to create
a support group. As a result, the Citizens Support Group for the
Mounted Patrol was organized. This organization undertook to provide
horses, trailers, tack, and other items and services for the expanded
mounted unit.
 Unit
members are proud of the fact that they can take a person who has
never ridden before, and after a few weeks of strenuous training,
some hard work, and not a few uncontrolled dismounts, make that
person an effective mounted officer.
Mounted
teams can always be seen in the Stockyards areas; however, two-officer
teams are assigned to other sections of the city as needed. The
teams are highly visible, very effective, and go wherever they are
needed. Their special maneuverability enables them to be effective
at area malls, hospital parking lots, downtown, or residential areas.
The mounted units are especially useful in searching rugged terrain
for lost or deceased persons.
Horses
have been used for riot and crowd control for centuries. The crowd
control training is arduous and very demanding for both horse and
rider. The Fort Worth Mounted Unit conducts training in these techniques
every month and is ready any day to assemble and, with the help
of SWAT and other crowd-control officers, to help deal with any
such problem. The mounted unit has come a long way indeed from the
day of the single volunteer officer.
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