This is easier said than done. Both Monica and Dawn have been thrown off of their horses once. “It’s like a bicycle, you just got to get back on and go,” Dawn says about the experience. They have learned to pay attention to the horse’s quirks, such as pinned back ears, and Roadie’s fear of shopping carts. “I’m more mentally exhausted than in any other assignment. We have an animal that’s going to think on its own if something happens,” Monica says about the difficulty of working with the horses.

 

One of the most important functions of the mounted squad is PR. However, anyone who thinks that its only purpose is parades is mistaken. “We do everything on the horse that they do in a car,” Monica says about their duties. Mounted police take calls, do traffic stops, and run radar.

“When you look in your rearview mirror and see this huge horse coming at you, you panic a little bit and stop,” Dawn says about pursuing cars. She estimates that the horses can go up to 35 to 40 miles per hour. Despite the initial shock, drivers tend to be more receptive because of the horses. “It’s real touchy feely versus the strong arm of the law,” Monica says. “We may do it a little nicer, but we still get the same results.”

Mounted police are frequently called upon to monitor protests and large crowds. In such scenarios, the sheer size of the horses and the higher vantage points are useful. Recently, Monica and Dawn assisted during a protest of the Massey Energy Company. They made sure that the protestors walked down Franklin Street safely and the cars went around them.

Every other weekend during the summer, the Mounted Squad patrols Shockoe Bottom in Richmond. During one such weekend they were engaged in small foot pursuits of rowdy teens at the now-closed Club Rendezvous.

“One horse can do the work of ten police officers,” Dawn says about the increased efficiency. The Mounted Squad uses special techniques to use the horses to their advantage. For example, if someone is doing something hazardous behind them, they can turn the horse around and use a maneuver with the horse’s flank. If someone is running away, an officer can grab them. While doing arrests, two officers often merge their horses to trap the offender while asking them to raise their hands to be cuffed. Everything is done from the horses, from traffic stops to arrests and pursuits. However, it is rare when members of the mounted squad are not together.

“All the little girly stuff has gone out the door; you go home stinky every day,” Officer Monica Watson jokes about their routine. She and Officer Dawn Lehmann patrol during the morning and the afternoon, then it is back to the stables for grooming and feeding. They have the glamorous task of hauling bales of hay to feed the horses and sometimes de-mucking the stalls. It seems worth it, though. “It makes me feel like being a cop again and I like that,” Monica says about her shift in career. She went from deskwork in personnel to being out on the streets with the horses. “This is the best assignment I’ve ever had,” Monica reiterates. “I will retire down here if I can.”

 

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The Friends of the Richmond Mounted Squad (FRMS) is a nonprofit civilian volunteer organization that was formed in 1991 to provide support to the City of Richmond Mounted Squad. It consists of a volunteer board, supporting dues paying members and many others who support the Friends through the various projects undertaken by the group. Both events, the Richmond Ride and the Horse Show raise funds to provide supplemental financial support for activities, training and material goods not otherwise funded. All of the Friends-sponsored events raise public awareness for the mounted squad and their effectiveness as a law enforcement unit.

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About the Writer

Leah wishes she had a horse of her own. It might make life easier. They seem more reliable than public transportation. Maybe they are more affordable than a car.

June 2010 Digital Edition continued