ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 20, 1997 TAG: 9701200016
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
ROANOKE MOUNTED POLICE will ride in the presidential inaugural parade today.
They aren't telling whether they voted for the president. Comments about last year's horse race are better left to the politicians.
But that doesn't mean Roanoke's mounted police patrol isn't willing to saddle up for Bill Clinton's inauguration day parade.
The Roanoke unit will ride with about 55 other mounted patrol divisions today in Washington, D.C. Four officers from each unit will disperse along the 1.6-mile parade route.
The 53rd inauguration event, titled "An American Journey - A Bridge to the 21st Century," will be the largest show of mounted patrols ever at the parade, said Ralph Pfister, field training officer with the U.S. Park Service.
About 120 mounted patrols units throughout the country were invited, Pfister said. Any that could pay their way were allowed to participate. The trip is costing the Roanoke mounted patrol about $500.
While this is the first time Roanoke will ride in the inauguration parade, it is not the first national recognition for the mounted patrol. Last year, officers John Loope and Eric Pendleton placed in a national police equestrian competition. The two are the founding members of the team, which is now five officers strong.
Roanoke's mounted patrol began in 1993 as a way to improve the department's image and to increase police presence in downtown. The officers soon discovered that a horse attracts more attention than a siren and flashing lights.
"There's a 180-degree difference from seeing an officer on foot or in a patrol car," Loope said. "There's an entirely different attitude toward us. It's the horse. People love animals. They talk more to the horse than to the officer."
But the achievements have come gradually. The team has tried out 15 horses over the years. Of the four horses in the patrol now, two were purchased by Roanoke and two were donated. Each has its own personality:
Before leaving for Washington last week, Trapper, a 14-year-old quarter horse-thoroughbred mix, stood at attention as Loope groomed him. Cinnamon, the bald-face quarter horse that Loope usually rides, turned to a corner of his stall, rump out, apparently offended that Loope would pay attention to any other horse.
Dan, an 18-year-old Tennessee walking horse, nosed his head over his door, sniffing the air. Outside, J.R., a 21-year-old quarter horse, poked for hay on the ground from his tether.
The city rents stable space for $1 a year on Cleveland Avenue Southwest and pays the officers' salaries. But the cost of maintaining the unit is borne by the Roanoke Foundation, a fund-raising organization established by downtown Roanoke business owners and city residents. The foundation gives between $12,000 and $15,000 each year to the unit, said Joe Wright, president of the group.
With the mounted patrol, "we've gained a lot that we wouldn't have otherwise," Wright said. "They can respond quickly. And they bring a feeling of greater security, flexibility and a positive image of police."
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: JANEL RHODA/Staff. Officer John Loope shaves Trapper forby CNBa day of mounted
police work downtown Wednesday. color.