The nation’s oldest continuously operating police mounted unit is set to disband, a victim of Baltimore City’s budget cutting and efforts to redirect police department funding.
But some community leaders aren’t ready to give up, saying the groundswell of support from residents may yet save it.
For decades the Baltimore Police Department’s Mounted Unit, founded in 1888, has been housed in an old auto dealership under the Jones Falls Expressway, a locale hardly befitting its longevity and respected role in the communities it served.
The celebrated unit’s fortunes were about to change this summer when its four horses were slated to move to a spanking new $3.5 million facility on the grounds of the B&O Railroad Museum in the southwest corner of the city.
But then in June the Baltimore City Council axed the police budget, eliminating the unit’s $554,000 annual funding amid concerns about the spending of police funds in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
The decision upset Southwest Baltimore political leaders and community members who recognized the unit and the stable as a resource for the neighborhood.
“I do support shifting some [BPD] funds, but I’m am not in support of this,” Councilman John Bullock told SouthBMore.com, a news website for the Mt. Claire community where the museum and stable are located. “Hopefully we can get those funds restored.”
The Baltimore mounted unit has been on the chopping block before but has always managed to survive, even as the city reduced its complement of equines from a high of 25 horses down to the current four.
In 2018 the stable’s ground breaking took place as part of an unusual public, private partnership aimed at promoting economic development and safety in one of Baltimore’s more troubled neighborhoods.
The 12-stall facility, known as First Mile Stable, has oversized stalls, a heated wash stall, community room and exercise paddock. The construction was privately funded but the city was to lease the stable for nearly $100,000 annually. Under the terms of the contract, moving out requires one-year’s notice.
“The city is beginning to understand there are unintended consequences,” said Kris A. Hoellen, executive director of the B&O Railroad Museum. “There is a substantial financial impact to not move in.”
She and others point to the community aspect of the facility and argued the role of horses and the stable to rejuvenate a challenged area wasn’t recognized in the decision making.
“The opportunity to have more safety and economic benefits is sorely needed on the west side,” said Hoellen.
The stable facility was designed also to be a stop on the museum’s rail line with visitors getting the opportunity to see the horses up close and talk to officers.
“Seeing horses in the paddock, bonding with police officers and maybe seeing a career path,” said Hoellen. “It could change the trajectory of someone’s life.”
Mounted police units, despite their effective role in crowd control whether in parades or protest and as community ambassadors, are often targeted during budget cutting in cities around the country.
Philadelphia’s mounted unit, formed in 1867 was shut down in 2004, but reopened in 2011. The Bethlehem (PA) Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit was restored in 2009 after a 63-year hiatus. Lancaster City’s Mounted Unit has been able to avoid the whims of city budgets since it is funded through the Lancaster Police Foundation and citizen donations.
In Pennsylvania, there are at least eight active mounted units. Some patrol cities and others whole counties, while the Pennsylvania State Police maintains a statewide presence.
There are three mounted police units active in New Jersey, while Maryland has two units in addition to Baltimore and there is one in New Castle, Delaware.
Should the dissolution of the Baltimore Mounted Unit take place, Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue in Mt. Airy, Md. has said it would take in the horses, which are draft and draft-cross breeds.
“We offered to house the horses indefinitely and make them available to their officers whenever they want to ride or visit so the mounted unit could have them back when it is refunded,” said Christine Hajek, founder and president of Gentle Giants.
Meanwhile, Southwest Baltimore community leaders said while they are heartbroken at the budget news, they will continue to press for the restoration of funding.
Kintira Barbour, community engagement liaison for the Mount Clare Community Council, told SouthBMore.com that she was looking forward to welcoming the unit as neighbors and as a way to improve citizen and police relations.
“After decades of underdevelopment, the sight of the newly constructed First Mile Stable was our light at the end of a dark tunnel,” she said. “It was evidence that our community wasn’t forgotten after years of broken promises to develop and invest.”