OC Regional Mounted Enforcement Unit stepping out at this year’s Rose Parade

Orange County’s Regional Mounted Enforcement Unit has been gearing up this week for a different kind of assignment: Riding in the 2024 Tournament of Roses Parade.

The 27 horses and officers from the Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Newport Beach and Buena Park police departments, as well as the OC Sheriff’s Department will be riding down Colorado Boulevard on Monday for the first time as a collective.

These horses are specially trained to do well in loud and crowded spaces – like the famed parade’s route that typically draws massive, cheering crowds.

The unit meets once a month, training the horses to stay calm in situations that would typically spook the animals. Each training session is hosted by a different department from the unit, arranging for the horses to be exposed to fireworks, blank handgun rounds and police sirens, as well as lights, smoke machines and bubble machines for further sensory training.

“We use them in crowded beaches like Huntington Beach during the US Open (of Surfing) or at our Anaheim Stadium during important baseball games or concerts as well,” Sgt. Jeff Callahan said. “Our horses are prepared for all sorts of different activities, including fireworks, gunshots, screaming kids, heavy traffic areas. And all of that collectively is what gets our horses prepared for this.”

The officers are especially excited to be among the 18 equestrian groups riding in the 135th Rose Parade, Callahan said.

“Especially since it is the first year doing it as all Orange County agencies, there is a lot of hype in that regard,” he said. “We train together, we deploy together on various things, so to be together on this big of a stage and coordinate is pretty amazing for us. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and we’re just really thrilled to be able to have this experience.”

Except for the unit from Huntington Beach, all of the horses are personally owned by the officers that ride them, Callahan said.

“We keep them at our houses if we have horse property or we’re boarding them ourselves, with little compensation from our own agencies,” he added. “A lot of what we do in the mounted unit, not just in Orange County, but statewide, is provided out of our own pockets just because we love the assignment so much.”

Callahan said horses are a great way for officers to connect with the community members they serve.

“When you’re in a police car you don’t get that interaction with the public that you get when you have a horse,” he said. “When you have a horse, you go up to a crowd of people, you go up to a family, the entire family wants to pet the horse and ask its name and get to know the horse. It just creates so much more dialog between the police officer and the civilians in the community.”

Orange County’s Regional Mounted Enforcement Unit is scheduled for the middle of the parade’s lineup, at number 41 of 84 entries. If you are watching in person or on TV, keep an eye out from it shortly after the Rose Bowl Game float featuring the University of Alabama and right after the Rotary float.

Source: Orange County Register