COLORADO SPRINGS — The El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced Monday that its mounted unit will operate full-time out of the Norris-Penrose Event Center.
It's going to give the sheriff's office better access for ceremonies, patrols, and search-and-rescues.
It's a partnership that Sheriff Joseph Roybal also says honors our western roots and can be fun in the community.
"Roll down the street in the community, we're in Cimarron Hills. The amount of people that came out to the doors waving and the children wanted to come in and pack the horses and engaged so it's (a) valuable outreach tool that really breaks the ice to where... the children want to come and see the horses, the adults wanna see the horses and we received a very warm welcome..." said Sheriff Roybal.
The Mounted Unit will be patrolling at parades and events for crowd control.
According to the sheriff's office, the Mounted Unit consists of 12 deputies and five equine partners and is the only standing Mounted Unit in the Pikes Peak Region.
The unit was formally designated in 1996, however, El Paso County Deputies have used horses for patrols and other duty responsibilities since 1861.
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