The Prairie View Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jerond Barnett, teamed up with the Harris County Police an Sheriff Departments to implement new measures of safety on campus and in the community by ushering in a Mount Patrol Unit.
The mounting classes will train police to patrol while riding horses. Horse mounting requires officers to blend two skills together to ensure safe patrolling to the public. Officers must have experience on the force and with horses.
Barnett felt that bringing this program to the city and the campus was imperative for many reasons.
Barnett said: “This will help us ensure crowd control and closer control. Historically, cops started on horseback and with this new program, it just adds more interaction between the public and the officers.”
Officers endured long hours of training on PVAMU agriculture professor Larry Solomon’s property. Chris Adolph, who has been a sergeant for more than 20 years with the Harris County Sheriff Office, trained the officers using his expertise and experience.
Adolph said: “Horses are magnets, they make it easier for the public to approach officers when they are used. They are approachable and they open dialogue between officers and citizens.” Students can expect to see horses for the first time this weekend during the parade and homecoming game. This new program is the first Mount Patrol Unit in Waller County.