The five newest members of the Philadelphia Police won't be driving squad cars or packing heat, but Commissioner Ramsey expects them to play an important role in patrolling the city's parks, controlling crowds, and improving community relations.
"One of the officers once said that 'nobody ever came up to pet my police car, but people constantly come up to pet the horse'," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.
On hand for Friday's introductions, the people who named the horses, the families of five officers recently killed in the line of duty.
Johnny was named for Officer John Pawlowski.
"I think it's awesome," said Kim Pawlowski. "When the Commissioner actually sent me a text message two weeks ago asking me about it, I thought it was the coolest thing. I think baby Johnny will love it knowing that there's a horse out there patrolling the street that's named after his father."
Stephen's a very affectionate horse, named for Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski.
"When the Commissioner called asking us about it, I said 'sure why not'? It's something fun, you know?" explained Michelle Liczbinski.
Santiago was named for Officer Isabel Nazario. Her family chose her maiden name for the male horse.
"I think she would love the idea," said Maritza Mohamad, Officer Nazario's sisters. "We were raised where our father used to work at a race track before, so we were around horses all the time."
Those three horses, plus Tiny Tim, named for Sgt. Timothy Simpson, all worked for the Newark, New Jersey Police Department, which just disbanded its mounted unit.
Pat, named for Sgt. Patrick McDonald, is new to police work.
They are all staying at a farm in Richboro until a new stable can be built for them in the city.
The Commissioner hopes that these horses are just the beginning of a much larger unit; maybe a couple dozen horses over the next couple of years.
Philly Police Foundation is raising money to help with the care of the Philadelphia Police mounted unit. For more information on how to make a donation go to phillypolicefoundation.org.
