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# Council asked to buck up for mounted patrol
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/council-asked-to-buck-up-for-mounted-patrol/
- Published: 2003-06-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:19:38.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*15-year-old police unit proposed to be cut from budget*

The Santa Monica Police Department’s mounted patrol unit may have to hang up its spurs permanently because of budget cuts.

SMPD’s mounted patrol, a four-horse unit that’s used mostly for crowd control, is on the chopping block as part of a growing list of deep cuts the City Council must make before it passes next year’s budget.

The City Council is set to pass the budget next Tuesday and it’s likely the mounted patrol, which costs SMPD about $25,000 annually, will be eliminated.

“I’m sad about it,” said Mayor Richard Bloom. “But the reality is that given the depth of our deficit, I don’t see how we can keep it.”

The mounted patrol was established in 1988 primarily for crowd control during major events at the pier, the beach and downtown, according to SMPD Lt. Marianne Fullove.

“We were having a lot of problems in Palisades Park with drug activity and they wanted a high visibility,” she said, adding that one horse is equivalent to 10 officers on foot because of their size and mobility.

The mounted patrol is deployed when there’s a potential for mayhem to ensue. The horses were brought out for the Democratic National Convention held a few years ago, as well as for the O.J. Simpson trial and community events like the Fourth of July and summer concerts on the pier.

They’re often seen patrolling the beaches at the ocean’s edge during busy summer weekends and monitoring the countless protests held downtown.

“The advantage of being in that situation is that you can see above the crowd and are mobile,” Fullove said. “It’s just another tool for officers to use.”

> “The advantage of being in that situation is that you can see above the crowd and are mobile. It’s just another tool for officers to use.” — — LT. MARIANNE FULLOVE Santa Monica Police Department

But possibly just as important, the mounted patrol has become a signature trademark of the SMPD with both residents and tourists.

“I think that when you compare the perception of police today from 30 years ago, it’s entirely different because people know and respect the police department and that’s because of the community officers like the mounted patrol,” Bloom said. “They make a connection with people in a positive way.”

Many agree that the mounted patrol serve as ambassadors to the city. The six officers trained to ride are routinely stopped by tourists and residents who want to pet the horses.

“I’m sure we’re all over Japan with all of the Japanese tourists taking their photos with us,” Fullove joked.

When the City Council deliberates over what gets the ax in the budget next Tuesday, dozens, if not hundreds, of people are expected to plead publicly with their elected officials to save their pet programs.

June Lockhardt, an actress and Santa Monica resident, is one of them. A fan of the mounted patrol, Lockhardt went before the City Council last year pleading with the board to save the unit. At the time, City Hall was facing a relatively small budget deficit and the Council was able to save the program.

But this year’s budget deficit, as well as the next two to three years, is much more serious, city officials say.

Regardless, Lockhardt said she’ll go before the City Council next week, hoping to convince the board that the mounted patrol is a community asset that can’t be lost.

“The romance of them is what makes me such an activist in this area,” she said.

Santa Monica faces a projected deficit of $16.1 million for next year and $20.2 million for the year after that.

Bloom said those figures are expected to grow because of how the state government plans to address the growing $35 billion deficit — by floating millions of dollars in bonds and then paying it back by increasing sales taxes. Local cities are surely going to suffer from the plan, Bloom added.

“We’re getting information from staff that indicates the budget is getting worse,” he said. “It’s really scary.”

During the summer, the horses are kept at the Santa Monica Animal Shelter. Their permanent home is at a ranch in the valley where officers go to train with them.

The officers, who are assigned regular beats and usually ride the horses on special assignment, often care for the horses on their own time because they’ve become so attached to them, Fullove said.

“We all feel that we should save them,” she said.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/061403-03_01.jpg)

‘Mr. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/061403-03_02.jpg)

‘Mr. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 14, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061403.pdf?ref=smdp.com)