Indy’s Mounted Patrol officers saddle up for FFA visitors

INDIANAPOLIS — This year at the National FFA Convention, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to tour the new equine facilities for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Mounted Patrol and meet all of the amazing officers and horses involved. This was done as a Career Success Tour organized by the National FFA Organization (other tours took place with Stoops Automotive and Driving Wind Farm/Green Gang).

After years of not having a permanent residence for the Mounted Patrol, the generous community of Indianapolis decided it was time to change that and came together to raise over $1.4 million to give these horses and officers a more permanent place to work from.

“By doing this job on horseback, I’m coming from the community engagement aspect of it, so I don’t see people necessarily at their worst when they need the police for that reason. I get to see them in their day to day and I can just have a nice general conversation with them and have a positive interaction with them,” said Officer Ivalee Craney.

When I arrived at the new facility, I was greeted by the very welcoming staff and horses. There are currently six officers and six horses that call this place home and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone of them. Their main facility, which includes the stalls and office, exceeds 20,000 square feet and is connected to the soon to be finished indoor arena.

As an equestrian myself, stepping into their brand new stables looked like something out of a magazine. These luxurious 12-by-16-foot stalls were built from beautiful exotic-looking woods, sleek black stall rails, and multiple openings for the horses to stick out their heads and beg for treats! Each stall was filled with premium shavings and special comforting floor mats. With stables like these, I’m sure any horse would be honored to call this home.

“The mounted horses are great ambassadors; it helps to break down the barriers to indulge in community conversations,” said Officer Lorie Phillips. “When I go down the street in my police car, nobody comes out to talk to me unless they have issues. But when I am walking around on this horse, everybody wants to talk to me.”

Extravagant housing is not the only thing these horses have going for them, they each have their very own set of custom fitting tack to ensure their utmost comfort when working in various fields.

The Indianapolis Mounted Police unit’s job is primarily centered around crowd control at various events and conventions around town. No crowd is too big for them to handle, from community parades and festivals, to large scale concerts and rallies, the Mounted Police are there to keep the peace and maintain order whenever they are needed.

“I always wanted to be mounted because I never wanted the same job day after day, and I also get a horse I can go anywhere with,” Officer Jason Palumbo said. “We don’t deal very much with the criminal element that your typical police would, we get to deal with nice and wonderful people from all over the world.”

I would like to thank all of the staff with the Indianapolis Mounted Patrol for their outstanding hospitality and willingness to answer questions.

If you ever happen to be in town for their private events such as Coffee With A Cop, I highly recommend reaching out and partaking in these events.