1 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Birmingham Police Officers Brad Herndon, left, and Maurice Cooley, right, answer questions about their horses while visiting Danberry at Inverness on September 12, 2016.
2 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Residents of Danberry at Inverness feed horses from the Birmingham Police Department on September 12, 2016.
3 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Linda McMillan, left, helps Laura Wright, right, feed a horse from the Birmingham Police Department during a visit at Danberry at Inverness on September 12, 2016.
4 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Residents of Danberry at Inverness feed horses from the Birmingham Police Department on September 12, 2016.
5 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Residents of Danberry at Inverness feed and pet horses from the Birmingham Police Department on September 12, 2016.
6 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Residents of Danberry at Inverness feed and pet horses from the Birmingham Police Department on September 12, 2016.
7 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Residents of Danberry at Inverness feed horses from the Birmingham Police Department on September 12, 2016.
8 of 8
Sarah Finnegan
Residents of Danberry at Inverness feed horses from the Birmingham Police Department on September 12, 2016.
Birmingham Police Department’s mounted patrol unit might not be the most cost-effective unit, but it’s an important one, Sgt. John Callahan said.
“A lot of departments started cutting them back several years ago,” Callahan said during a visit to Danberry at Inverness. “…They realized that they didn’t save as much as they thought.”
In addition to the mounted patrol unit’s work in Birmingham’s business districts, shopping centers, downtown and at football games and festivals, Callahan said the mode of transportation — the horses — help strike up a conversation with community members. Most people will approach mounted officers to ask about their horses, something that does not happen with other patrol officers.
“People don’t come up and ask, ‘Can I pet your car?’” Callahan said.
The horses help build community relations and positive interaction with police, he said, and when departments look to cut mounted units, they oftentimes find the good will lost is not worth the money saved. Horses cost between $35,000 and $40,000 per year to take care of, but Callahan said without them the department loses good public relations and interactions.
Two horses and officers from the mounted unit visited residents of Danberry at Inverness on Sept. 12 to explain more about their unit, as well as offer animal interaction for the residents, said Danberry at Inverness Executive Director Jaclyn Gardner.
Gardner said there were several reasons they wanted to have the mounted unit visit, including fostering a conversation and promote wellness. Residents who previously lived on a farm or rode horses could connect with those memories by seeing and interacting with the patrol horses, she said.
It just gives them an opportunity to have that special feeling,” she said. “…We do try to promote wellness here, and we look at wellness as full circle.”
Wellness includes more than basic health care, Gardner said, and relates back to interactions, mental health and positive experiences.
“This is almost like animal therapy for our residents.”
In addition to feeding the horses treats of apples and carrots, residents were able to ask questions about the patrol unit. Officer Brad Herndon said he sees his position on the mounted unit as “the best job in the world.”
Herndon explained that most horses that are part of the unit are donated and then given a one to three-month trial period before officially becoming part of the unit. Horses must be calm and good around crowds, he said, due to the nature of where they serve and the community events they attend.
The length of service depends on the horse, just as it does for an officer, Herndon said. Once a horse is through with serving, it will either be returned to the person who donated it to the department or go on to a rescue group or other private entity.
The unit also takes in donations of equipment and supplies from the public to make up for what can sometimes be a lack of funding.
“This is not necessarily where the police department wants to invest a whole lot of money, so we do have to, to a certain extent, look very hard for some of the funding that we have,” Herndon said.
The patrol unit accepts donations of brushes, leather cleaner, hoof picks, shampoo, horse trailers and other items. To make a donation to the mounted patrol unit, contact Callahan at 254-6555.
