Meet the Soon to Return Mounted Unit Horses in Training

Mar 22 2011

EVENT: PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE FOUNDATION OFFICIALS WELCOME DEPARTMENT’S NEWEST EQUINE RECRUITS

WHO:

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey and PPD Deputy Commissioners
Lt. Daniel McCann, Commanding Officer, PPD Mounted Unit
Jeffrey M. Kolansky, Esq., Director, Philadelphia Police Foundation and Peter Madden, Director, Philadelphia Police Foundation
State Senator Lawrence M. Farnese, Jr.
Michael P. Ballezzi, Executive Director and Director/Owner, Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association

TIME:

Friday, March 25, from 10:00am – 11:00am

PLACE:

White Pine Farm, 555 Twining Ford Rd., Richboro, PA

Directions: I-95 to Street Road Exit, left on Street Road to 2nd Street Pike, right on2nd Street Pike for 3.9 miles to Twining Ford Rd., 555 Twining Ford Rd. is on your left.

DETAILS:

Join Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey and representatives from the Philadelphia Police Foundation in welcoming the Department’s first five horses to the Mounted Unit. Stephen, Santiago, Pat, Tiny Tim and Johnny will soon begin their training alongside members of the PPD Mounted Unit in April. The horses have been named after the five officers who have fallen in the line of duty since 2008 (Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, 05/03/08; Officer Isabel Nazario (maiden name Santiago), 09/05/08; Sgt. Patrick McDonald, 09/23/08.; Sgt. Timothy Simpson, 11/07/08; Officer John Pawlowski, 02/13/09).

All of the horses have been adopted from the Standardbred Retirement Foundation (www.adoptahorse.org). Four out of the five horses were trained for police work and served previously in the Newark (NJ) Police Department’s Mounted Unit, which was recently disbanded. The horses are currently stabled at White Pine Farm in Richboro until the permanent stable and headquarters are constructed.

The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association has agreed to partner with the Philadelphia Police Department and the Philadelphia Police Foundation. They have generously offered assistance in planning for the new stables and headquarters, providing tack and equipment, as well as additional horses to be adopted from their “Turning For Home” racehorse retirement program.

The Philadelphia Police Department, with the support of the non-profit Philadelphia Police Foundation, expects to have a Mounted Unit with initially 10-12 horses and officers up and running later this year. In addition to public contributions, corporate support thus far has come from Comcast, 7-Eleven and Verizon Wireless. State Senator Lawrence Farnese has secured a $100,000 state-funded grant specifically for the Police Department and the Mounted Unit.

For more information or to donate, go to www.phillypolicefoundation.org/donate

Meet the new horses in this video!