City police need horses
The Baltimore Police Department's Mounted Unit needs two horses. Jason Curtis, head of the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association, is helping to raise the $5,000 needed to buy Vernon, which is already training for his new job, and is in the picture.
Curtis says the police had to retire two horses and needs to replace them. The Mount Vernon board is offering to match any contribution made by an association member and will match a contribution from $100 up to $2,500 from a non-member.
Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that one horse, on loan, was elderly and had to be put down, and that another horse retired.
You can donate by visiting the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association.
Says Jason: "I'm working on getting the Mounted Patrols to tour Mt. Vernon one day next week so everyone in the neighborhood can come out and meet all the horses!"
You might remember that two years ago, the Mounted Unit, one of the oldest in the country, was on the chopping block, threatened by budget cuts. Donations poured in to save the cops on horses.
And private sponsorship is not unusual in the world of Mounted Police. Last year, city cops changed the name of Blackie to Slurpie when 7-Eleven donated $5,000 to the unit. Here's that story from January, 2010:
Goodbye, Blackie. Hello, Slurpee.
Like the NASCAR speedsters festooned with ads, the Baltimore Police Department's horse unit is going the way of corporate sponsorship. The 7-Eleven chain donated $5,000 to keep the endangered Mounted Unit running, and the check gave the business naming rights.
And just like that, the purebred Percheron once known as Blackie is now named after the outlet's frozen beverage concoction. Slurpee joins the other horses of patrol: Butch, Buster, Binks, Barny and Bell.
The new name breaks up the symmetry of the Bs, but a department desperate to keep the 121-year-old mounted unit was not about to turn down money. Police solicited funds, and donors came up with $90,000 - enough to keep the horses trotting for another year.
Slurpee will be etched in the horse's saddle and will be on the stall, but the horse won't have to catch criminals wearing a 7-Eleven logo. But this marketing breakthrough has led some to speculate.
"If BGE wants to give us a donation and name a horse Zap, we'll consider it," said the Police Department's chief spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, only half-joking.
"We talked about putting ads on the sides of police cars and saying, 'This car chase brought to you by Nabisco,' " said Sgt. John Ambrose, who runs the mounted unit, fully joking.
Ambrose said the department had obtained Blackie late last year but had not paid for the horse and nearly had to return it before money started arriving to a nonprofit police foundation. The public can meet the newly minted Slurpee at 11 a.m. Friday at the grand opening of a 7-Eleven at Market Place downtown.
The store announced that there will be special snacks - apples and carrots - for the police horses and food specials for the customers - 11-cent Big Gulps.
Comments
What are you kidding me!!!! Instead of trying to buy a horse, they need ti retire the hold unit.
Posted by: uncleollie41 | October 7, 2011 10:50 AM
I think we need a definition of "need".
Posted by: brian | October 7, 2011 1:56 PM
I'm agreeing with uncleollie on this one...
Unlike, say, the Royal Canadian Mounted police who perform with horse and make them an integral part of the culture, heritage and workings of that force, Baltimore's horses are used ... um, when? Riots to intimidate protesters perhaps? A parade once a year. Who in their bloody right mind thinks its humane to put a horse DOWNTOWN in that hot, urban hell. Kill the unit.
Posted by: baltobikeboi | October 7, 2011 6:02 PM
Thanks Peter for the article. Vernon and MVBA greatly appreciates it!
We've almost reached our goal...so hopefully soon Vernon will become part of the Baltimore family!
Posted by: Jason Curtis | October 9, 2011 5:26 PM