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Security stands tall in the saddle

The county's mounted unit will join others in Jacksonville to help with the Super Bowl.

By STEVE THOMPSON
Published January 28, 2005

It's their vantage point that makes deputies on horseback ideal for the job.

"You can see how high they are," said Sgt. Roger Mills, nodding at members of the Pasco County Sheriff's Mounted Unit saddled above their horses. "That's a lot better than me down here."

Mills and the unit's four other members will head to Jacksonville next week to help patrol the Super Bowl on Feb. 6. They will work alongside the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, which also has requested help from several other mounted units across the state.

On Wednesday, the mounted deputies will begin mingling with the crowds who attend pregame shows, concerts and other events around Alltel Stadium.

"The big thing now is obviously terrorism," Mills said. Deputies on horseback, he said, are an important part of keeping the event safe.

"You've got a good observation point," Mills said. "You can see things going on."

The horses undergo training to get them used to people and distractions. The sessions include running through a course encumbered with tin cans that hang from strings. Trainers also subject them to umbrellas opening and people yelling.

"They basically learn to accept that and not get too excited about it," Mills said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will pay for the unit's hotel rooms, meals and other expenses while there. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office will pick up the tab for transporting the horses to and from Jacksonville.

"If we had a situation where we needed mutual aid, they would come help us," Mills said. "We've got to help each other out."

Sheriff Lee Cannon formed the mounted unit in 1995. The unit has become more active since Sheriff Bob White took office, Mills said. White has even saddled up a few times during special events.

The deputies in the unit provide their own horses, board them and pay for their food and upkeep. The Sheriff's Office pays for saddles and other equipment.

In addition to crowd control, deputies on horseback provide speed and mobility in searching for missing people. They cover a lot of ground quickly without disturbing the scent that tracking dogs follow.

In 2002, a member of the unit found a 75-year-old Alzheimer's patient who walked away from her assisted living facility in New Port Richey and got caught up in some brush. Deputies in a helicopter, in patrol cars and on foot had been unable to find her.

[Last modified January 28, 2005, 00:21:17]