Ten-Foot Cop (NYPD Mounted Unit)
The New York Police Department has a mounted unit; such an officer is sometimes called a “ten-foot cop.” The term “ten-foot cop” also appears to be used by mounted units of other cities.
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Call it a 10 foot cop
mounted police take over the street
New York Times
A New Crime Fighter, for $10 in Hay and Oats
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: April 18, 2006
In this high-tech, gadget-dependent, “CSI”-obsessed age of police work, one of the New York Police Department’s most prized and pampered weapons in the war on lawlessness is a temperamental pack of hay-chomping lads named Zeus, Philly and Angus.
Now, after decades of consignment to Central Park patrols, ceremonial trots down Fifth Avenue and the occasional cameo at a raucous demonstration, these horses — and 85 of their brethren — have begun patrolling high-crime neighborhoods, making late-night shows of force through Times Square and taking the lead during search-and-rescue missions along thicket-filled riverbanks and wooded urban parkland.
And there soon will be more of them: Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly is increasing the budget for the mounted troop, 75 horses and officers over the next three years, to eventually bring the total to 160, giving mounted patrols a larger role in battling crime.
“There’s a reason we call them the 10-foot cop,” Mr. Kelly said. “You can see them from blocks away, they’re great at crowd control and they’re probably the most photographed piece of equipment we have. I’m a huge fan.”
Campbell Times (September 2006)
San Jose Police Mounted Unit celebrates 20th anniversary
By Justin Peterson
There’s only one crook that could stop a 10-foot cop with 20 years veteran experience under his belt—whoever sets San Jose budget constraints.
Real Estate Weekly
Ribbon cut on NYPD mounted stable at Pier 76.
Publication: Real Estate Weekly
Publication Date: 28-MAR-07
Article Excerpt
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly recently opened new stables for the NYPD Mounted Unit at Pier 76 on Manhattan’s West Side.
The new 22,500 s/f stables include a 6,500 s/f heated training ring, spacious box stalls, locker rooms and office space for both Troop B and the Mounted Unit citywide headquarters.
The construction firm Skanska USA completed the Pier 76 construction project in less than six months. The vacancy of the Mounted Unit’s old home at Pier 63 paves the way the continued expansion of Hudson River Park during the upcoming warm weather months.
The Mayor and the Police Commissioner were joined at the announcement…
Delta Sky Magazine (December 2007)
Ten-Foot Cops
The Big Apple requires big protection, and there’s no better way to secure a block than with the NYPD’s Mounted Unit
by Mary Alice Kellogg
THEY ARE handsome, intelligent, chivalrous, diplomatic. They possess nerves of steel and amazing, rippling muscles. And while they’re a bit tall for me—alas, also a bit young for me—my heart nonetheless skips a beat each time I see the long-lashed brown eyes of Officer Chivas and Officer Furball as they patrol my neighborhood. Let’s face it: There’s something about a horse in uniform.
For New Yorkers, the New York City Police Department’s Mounted Unit is a welcome sight; to visitors in this most modern of cities, it’s often a surprising one. Anybody who’s been to the Theater District, Central Park or Rockefeller Center (where you’re likely to meet Detective John Reilly and the charismatic Apple) is likely to do a double take. How does this remnant of a less mechanized era keep its importance in a contemporary world? Therein lies a tail . . . er, tale, of tradition, pride and the eons-old bond between human and horse.
Formed 136 years ago, New York’s Mounted Unit is not only the largest in the United States, it’s also the oldest in North America (the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was formed almost two years after New York’s, in 1873). While one of its original functions—to curb the reckless galloping of saddle- and carriage horses—has gone the way of the buggy whip, today’s 110 police horses and officers carry out all police duties, plus crowd control, security and community outreach. Unit troops are in all boroughs except Staten Island—two in Manhattan, one each in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
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Hoofed prospects undergo grueling NYPD training to see if they’re up to snuff—getting used to traffic, jackhammers, subway steam, crowds and other obstacles of urban life. Upon graduation, each is given an official number, but since saying “Whoa, 368!” wouldn’t work too well, horses are also given pet names by their riders (hence Chivas and Furball). Many horses have official “dedicated” names honoring NYPD officers killed in the line of duty. But whether dedicated or nicknamed, all “10-foot cops”—like Maverick, Apple, Harley, BlackJack, Sierra Spring and Herman—“are characters,” says seasoned mounted officer Ronald Savarese. “And they’re all lovers, not biters.”