‘We’re trying to keep everybody safe’: Ocala Police Department reinstates Mounted Patrol Unit

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - There are going to be horses downtown thanks to a newly reinstated unit at the Ocala Police Department.

"Ocala is the Horse Capital of the World, right? What better organization to have a horse unit in than Ocala." shared Ocala Police Chief, Mike Balken.

Two horses, Merci and Lancelot and 2 officers will be seen in Downtown Ocala thanks to the Mounted Patrol Unit at the Ocala Police Department.

Balken says the some of the main reasons they disbanded the unit about 15 years ago was because of staffing issues and the financial requirements that come with the upkeep of horses.

"Losing them, we lost that community engagement ability," Balken said. "Our downtown area has grown exponentially in 15 years, right? It's a thriving community, there's a lot of foot traffic, tremendous amount of bars and restaurants that we're trying to service. We're trying to keep everybody safe and do it the right way."

This time, the people in the community stepped in to help provide everything they need from the feed, to the horses and even the veterinarian services.

"Honestly, it costs a lot of money to buy a horse and even more to own a horse," shared the Director of the Equine Initiative with the CEP, Louisa Barton.

Barton continues to say, "I think it matters so much that every single person that jumped in and got involved were all a part of what made this happen, and it couldn't happen without all of those different parts moving together."

Larsen Hay is just one business that is helping.

"I didn't even ask the boss, I knew the boss man would say yes because it's such an honor," said Betsy Bevacqua who works with Larsen Hay. "We love our police department, what they do for our community, how they respond, how they take care of people, care about people, and we want the horses downtown."

Balken says this unit will greatly help his officers as they hold events during the holidays.

"Communication is key for us right, sharing of intelligence information. Those officers on horseback are I don't know eight feet, nine feet in the air, they're seeing something I can't see from a car, right," shared Balken. "They can hear things because they're walking around the community. They're not driving in a patrol car 40-50 mph."

Officers hope the unit will deter criminal activity downtown as the population continues to grow. This unit will be partnered with many different units, but especially the bike unit. Balken says they want the unit to grow in the next year or two so they can have horses downtown as much as possible.