Pictured from left is JP Dyal (Horse Trainer), BCPD Officer Scott Pastore, Pegasus the new mounted recruit, Alonzo (trainer), Brian Smith (retired Metro Mounted Officer and founder of Funny Farm Mustangs 501c3).
The Boulder City Police Department (BCPD) have a new horse, Pegasus, in the team of mounts used for the established Mounted Patrol Unit. She is wild mustang mare who is from the Red Rock round up area. Her early training was at the Sacramento Sheriff”s Office, where inmates train the horses for adoption by the public, as well as law enforcement mounted units, at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center (also known as RC3 Correctional Center). Head Trainer JP Dyal of JP Dyal Horsemanship works closely with the inmates, teaching inmates the skills they need to train these wild horses. The recidivism (repeat offender) rate is very low for those involved in the program. Officer Scott Pastore of BCPD noted, “The program demonstrates how great these horses are in teaching humans some lessons.”
\Pegasus, will further train with retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Mounted Officer Brian Smith for 5 months at the Funny Farm Mustangs Facility in Northwest Vegas undergoing extensive training. Officer Pastore will then receive her to complete her training.
There are no costs expended in the regular BCPD budget. The adoption fee of $600 for Pegasus was paid for by the Friends of the Boulder City Police. The cost of training for Pegasus, $2500, was paid for by the Friends of the Las Vegas Metro Mounted Unit. Officer Pastore stated, “Horses are housed at my barn, and all utility expenses are incurred by me. Volunteers or officers pay for boarding, feeding, horseshoeing, vet care, tack, training aids or other equipment. The trailer for transporting the horses was also donated. Officers are paid the same whether they drive a car or ride a horse. There is no incentive pay like other specialized units.”
There are currently five mounted horses, including Pegasus. The other horses are Odie, Buck, Apollo, and Lobo are the other horses in the crew. They hope to add another horse, at some point. Four officers are certified as Advanced Mounted Patrol: Officer Scott Pastore, Officer Shon Johanson (reserve officer), Officer Anil Sharma and Officer Mike Petty. All officers must earn certifications in Basic and Advanced Mounted Patrol. This requires at least eighty hours of certification. These officers train weekly (mostly on their own time). There are also two volunteers with the unit: Giustina Voyson and Justin Seidman. These are the details about the horses themselves:
- Pegasus, the newest mount, a wild mustang
- Odie, who has his own Instagram account, a Missouri Fox Trotter
- Star, a Quarter Horse
- Apollo, a Dutch Warmblood
- Buck, a Quarter Horse
Mounted units do a variety work both in Boulder City and surrounding jurisdictions. Some of these activities include patrolling downtown Boulder City, City parks, Special Events and operating in areas that are not easily accessed by all-terrain vehicles. In particular, citizens will see Mounted Patrol Units at events like Spring Jamboree and Art-in-the-Park and similar high volume pedestrian and major outdoor events.
Mounted units offer officers many advantages in surveilling areas, as they sit at least eight feet above the ground to observe areas. Officer Pastore says, “If a child is lost, officers can see across the crowd to identify the parents. If an event goer is injured, mounted officers can create a path for arriving medical personnel. The Mounted Patrol is ideal for traffic and crowd control. At a crowded event, the mounted horse has a faster response time than emergency vehicles.” Our mounted patrol officers can also be found working with LVMPD’s Mounted Patrol Unit for events such as:
- New Year’s Eve on the Las Vegas Strip
- The Martin Luther King Jr Parade
- Las Vegas Raiders Football Games
- Golden Knights Hockey Games
- Various parades, memorials and funeral processions
To donate to the care, feeding and equipping of these wonderful assets to the community, please visit The Friends of the Boulder City Police Department Mounted Unit Facebook page, by clicking here.
