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Medical, Resource Issues Cited
The city of Lexington and the Lexington Police Department have decided to discontinue plans to “stand up” a mounted police unit, bringing to a close a process that began over two and a half years ago.
City Manager Tom Carroll, who ultimately made the final decision, cited the need for resources to go to higher-priority policing initiatives as a reason for the decision. There have also been numerous “medical challenges” for the officers and one of the horses assigned to the unit, according to a press release from the city.
The city initially acquired two horses, but one was determined medically unfit for patrol duty earlier this year. Mounted units require at least two horses to be successful, because horses are herd animals. Another horse would have cost roughly $20,000.
Horse purchase and transport costs would have been covered by money raised by donations made to the Lexington Mounted Police Inc., a nonprofit organization that was founded in the wake of the original plans in January 2022. Now, those donations will be refunded.
In a meeting with the Lexington Mounted Police board last Thursday, Carroll and Police Chief Angela Greene laid out their decision and answered questions from board members.
Before making his decision, Carroll did research, including talking to police colleagues from other regions who had had experience with mounted units. They laid out the pros and cons of having a mounted unit program, and also gave him some alternative ideas.
“One of the ideas that I discussed with a colleague of mine, who’s worked with a mounted unit in the Cincin- nati police, was that there could be an auxiliary [force],” he explained. “An auxiliary would be citizens who don a uniform” and act as a mounted unit.
Whether that ends up happening or not, it will not come to pass this year. When asked if the question of a mounted unit could be raised again soon, Carroll replied, “Yes, I could imagine a circumstance where this issue could be revisited. I doubt that will happen anytime in the near future. I don’t anticipate reconsidering this question for a couple years.”
Some board members were unhappy with the decision, feeling like the “rug was pulled out from under them.”
Carroll was sympathetic to their feelings. “It’s with a heavy heart that I say … that we have to discontinue the program,” he said. “You all acted in good faith, and I so appreciate that … I just don’t think we have the right resources to be successful.”
Carroll and Greene both referred to the current overarching goal for the police department, which is to emphasize and become proficient at community policing. The plans for a mounted unit were seen as pulling energy and resources away from the community policing initiative.
“It was too much of an undertaking and a task at this moment in time, to focus the energy on standing up the mounted unit but also focus on the majority of the police department that we’re trying to get to move into this direction,” Greene explained. “We just have to focus our efforts on other community initiatives at the moment.”
Donated money will be refunded to donors, if they want it back. Donors are asked to contact Pamela Roberson, the mounted unit’s secretary, by Dec. 1 to advise her of their intent to request a refund. Roberson can be reached at [email protected]. City officials also plan to send letters to donors, thanking them for their contributions and offering more information about refunds.
At the end of the year, the donated money that remains unclaimed will be split, with equal parts being given to the Lexington Police Foundation and the Virginia Horse Center Foundation.
Greene urged the board members to maintain the motivation they had for the mounted unit and transfer it to support for the police department. She suggested that board members seek to join the board of the Lexington Police Foundation, which would allow them to determine how funds are used in the future.
“I’m hoping that with all this energy and enthusiasm and passion, that you all will join us and move that over to the police foundation,” she said.
Carroll and Greene strongly praised the board, and by extension the local equine community, for accomplishing the feat of raising adequate funds and coming together to make the unit happen, despite ultimately not being able to achieve their aims.
“This was a huge community success,” Greene told the board. “You all came together to do what I’ve never heard of before … to support an initiative solely on donations for a police mounted unit, which was, and still is, a great idea. It’s just the wrong timing right now.”
