REBECCA CARRASCO

PHOTO: ST. CHARLES PARISH SHERIFF GREG CHAMPAGNE recently signed off on the Mounted Unit proposal, which will provide crowd control at public events and for search and rescue operations at remote locations. Horses can go places cars might not be able to. We have that capability should the need arise, and who knows when only a horse would do,” said Sheriff Greg Champagne of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Department, speaking proudly about his new mounted unit. “We might be looking for a lost person, and the mounted deputies will be ready to go.” When he took office in 1996, Champagne explained, there had been a sheriff’s posse, composed mainly of civilians who rode in various Mardi Gras parades. “They were basically ceremonial in their riding, for parades and such, and most of them were not actual policemen.” The posse was established by Deputy Francis Landry, who began, and still is in the canine division. After attending high school events at Destrehan and Hahnville stadiums, soon after taking office, Champagne realized security details would be enhanced by the use of deputies on horseback. “They provide increased visibility, excellent crowd-control capability, and are a great public relations tool,” he explained. “Also, deputies on horseback can see better, they can patrol parking lots at night, and protect cars at high school football games.” So, Champagne decided last year to implement the idea of a group of uniformed deputies specially trained to be part of a mounted unit. “I have a few deputies who are involved with horses and know a good bit about them,” he said. “We, therefore, decided to start an official unit with proper training.” Several of his deputies, according to Champagne, are accomplished riders and own their own horses. Fifteen full-time and two part-time deputies will be part of the unit. All this week, the St. Charles Sheriff’s Department is holding training sessions sponsored by the Southern Police Institute and Geiser Equine. “Five deputies will start the basic training,” according to Champagne. “Horses and their deputy riders will be certified. Cpl. Jimmy Roberts Jr. and Deputy Jason Guidry will undergo two additional weeks of instructor training and will train the other members of the unit. Capt. Craig Petit, 911 director, is coordinating the unit, with Lt. Pam Schmitt assisting.” Deputy Landry emphasized the horses require training as much as the riders do. “A horse has to be around all sorts of things that he is ordinally unaccustomed to, such as umbrellas, balloons, crowds and noise. We have to work them through all of that during a parade or a disturbance. You do not want to have a horse spooking because a rider cannot control him.” The trained mounted unit, horses and riders, will be used for football games, parades, festivals, public relations and special events, search and rescue operations in remote locations, and other cases calling for crowd control. “I think it will just be another tool that we have and the availability to do some unusual and different things if and when the situation calls for it,” Champagne said. The mounted unit will contribute to the department’s flexibility, the sheriff concluded. “You have to be ready in this business and be able to expand. We are doing a little bit of everything because the people expect it.” The mounted unit will also bring law enforcement to a new level. “Deputies gain a lot more visibility than a guy on foot,” he added. “People have a natural respect for officers on horseback.”