Recently, two Laguna Beach police corporals approached the department’s command staff about adding more legs on patrol.
Four at a time.
Laguna Beach PD is a smaller department and there aren’t a lot of auxiliary options for officers to participate in, said Cpl. Trevor Brooks. Creating a mounted unit would add one.
“I love horses and being around them, so I pitched the idea,” he said.
But that wasn’t his only selling point. He also thought the community, with its ample trails and open space, beaches and coves, and numerous parks, would benefit from horseback patrols.
On a red flag day, Brooks said an officer sitting up high on a horse would have a better view to look for fires and smoke, while also allowing quick and agile travel across densely vegetated terrain and steep hillsides. Beyond that, they’re perfect for crowd control, he said.
The unit could patrol through the downtown and would be used for special community events such as the Patriots Day Parade, Fourth of July, National Night Out, Hospitality Night and more, he said.
In 2024, 27 horses and officers from mounted units of the Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Newport Beach and Buena Park police departments, as well as the OC Sheriff’s Department, participated in the Rose Parade.
Once Laguna Beach has its own unit, Brooks said the horses and officers would also become part of the regional mounted unit.
Jonah Fernandez, 8, practices his rope skills on a roping dummy during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert reacts after rolling a lawn ball during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Rashae Taylor, left, gets a high five from Mark Coutee after bowling a ball at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Amy Calvert prepares to roll a ball during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Harper Noonan, 12, left, pets Romeo, a7-year-old mini horse, as Stephanie Chapel right watches on during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Matt Steelman, left, watches as Jonah Fernandez, 8, practices his rope skills on a roping dummy during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Orange County Sheriff Deputies David Schenewerk, left, and Chris Eiben, members of the OCSD Mounted Enforcement Unit ride their horses Joe, left, and Wednesday to a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Mark Coutee, left, watches as Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert rolls a ball during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Amy Calvert holds a lawn bowling ball during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert rolls a ball during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 10Jonah Fernandez, 8, practices his rope skills on a roping dummy during a fundraiser by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation to get the department’s mounted unit up and running at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer) ExpandSo, selling the concept to Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert wasn’t hard.
“It’s a tremendous outreach tool for the community,” Calvert said this week after attending a fundraiser sponsored by the Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation, which has stepped up to help raise money to form the mounted unit.
At the event, an evening of lawn bowling at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club, Calvert said he watched the interaction between the community and two Orange County Sheriff Department mounted deputies who were there to “meet and greet.”
“All the smiles on everybody’s faces, taking pictures of the horses, it solidified for me the ‘why,’” he said.
The community foundation has embarked on a campaign to raise $120,0000 to pay the upfront costs to purchase two horses and their tack, stabling and food, a horse trailer and truck, and veterinarian care. Calvert said the annual cost for the unit would be about $20,000.
The recent fundraising event was well attended. People lawn bowled, and there were prizes, raffles, and a dinner. In all, about $70,000 was raised toward the goal, said Glenn Gray, the foundation’s board president.
Calvert said the department hopes to have the unit on the streets by the year’s end.
In the meantime, Brooks and Cpl. Micheala Milone are taking riding lessons at the J F Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano.
After an initial eight-week program, the officers will continue working with the trainer and will be expected to exercise and train the horses multiple times a week.
Sgt. Thomas Spratt, now a motor officer who came to the Laguna Beach police from OCSD’s mounted unit, will oversee the team. At least 10 officers in the department have expressed an interest in joining the unit.
The Laguna Beach mounted unit will be part of a region-wide riding team of about 60 horses. There are mounted units in Newport Beach, Irvine, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Orange, Garden Grove and Buena Park and the OCSD.
“We’ll also assist other cities with special events, community outreach and engagements and wellness for the officers,” Calvert said. “It’s also a great retention tool. This ancillary duty, there are so many people interested in that. There’s just so many benefits to the program.”
Spratt said he looks forward to sharing his horsemanship expertise with the other officers. He has spent most of his life riding.
“They have a lot of benefits,” he said of the horses, especially in crowd control. “One team of mounted is equivalent to 10 foot officers. An officer elevated in the air is also able to identify crimes, and patrolling on beaches and trails (with a horse) has a much lower wear than an ATV. A horse is less of an impact to the environment. You can also take them up on trials and look for missing persons.”
Spratt said there is really not one ideal breed for police work. The New York Police Department uses thoroughbreds, some departments use stockier working horses, such as Clydesdales, and while he was at OCSD, he said he rode a quarter horse.
“You’re looking for a good disposition,” he said. “A horse that’s calm, responsive to commands and not easily startled.”
Related links
Laguna Beach police asks bars throughout OC to help prevent DUIs in town Laguna Beach adding law to help enforce e-bike, e-scooter violations Laguna Beach, law enforcement authorities gear up for ‘America First!’ rally Laguna Beach police Chief Laura Farinella exhales following potentially explosive America First! rally With an influx of beach visitors, Laguna Beach runs ads to stop bad behaviorThe community foundation, which was established to provide emergency aid, assistance, and scholarships to Laguna Beach Police Department employees and their dependents, has committed to paying for the operational costs until the city steps up.
“In time, when the city and public see it, I’m sure there will be support for ongoing costs,” Gray said.
Brooks and Milone were out at the Shea Center this week, doing their fifth week of training.
“It’s going really well,” Brooks said, adding that among the things he’s learned that surprised him is how easily a horse reacts to leg pressure.
While he rode as a kid, he hasn’t been on a horse as an adult, so brushing up at the Shea facility has been really valuable, he said.
Both he and Milone, though they still have to officially apply to be part of the unit, look forward to helping pick out the horses, Brooks said.
“I’d want a horse that’s eager to work,” he said, “and that’s calm and gentle and lets people touch and pet it.”
Related Articles
Public defender Scott Sanders, who upended OC’s legal landscape, retires after 32 years Laguna Beach adding law to help enforce e-bike, e-scooter violations Anaheim police say street takeovers have fallen, new state laws will help get vehicles impounded Groundbreaking criminal justice starts in Santa Ana courtroom ACLU dismisses jailhouse informant lawsuit against OC Sheriff’s Department Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Laguna Beach police want to add horses to patrols; fundraising is underway )
Also on site :