Nevada Focus: Tahoe deputies patrol from horseback

Neon-colored foam "noodles" being waved by a trainer, for example, might look like big snakes to an apprehensive horse that's being urged by the officer on his back to move ahead instead of retreat.

"Go get it," said El Dorado County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Sukau as he worked with his thoroughbred gelding, Pilot, to get him over a natural instinct to shy away from the apparent menace.

The idea is to increase Pilot's effectiveness as a law enforcement tool, to help with crowd control as well as to get Sukau into remote areas where vehicles can't travel.

"We expose them to a lot of stuff, but never to the point that it defeats them," explains Detective Don Atkinson, the mounted unit coordinator. "You want them to win. That's what builds their confidence."

Atkinson and Sukau simulate several real-life situations in a training ring at the Camp Richardson stables. With music blaring from a nearby boom box, the horses negotiate pylons, different ground surfaces, flying beach balls and other beach toys.

"It may seem like dumb stuff, but it's all something that could happen to them," Atkinson says.

The horses must respond quickly to their riders and be highly maneuverable - able to back out of tight situations and turn on a dime.

To accomplish this highly tuned relationship, the officers spend many off-hours training and caring for their equine partners, getting them to overcome their fear of the unknown.

"You start off by just doing one thing and you build from there," Sukau says.

"It's a lot of baby steps," Atkinson adds.

Atkinson's mount, Blaze, a 13-year-old quarter horse mare, still has a problem with Silly String and people blowing bubbles. Pilot still doesn't like manhole covers, but he's getting used to them.

With encouragement from Sheriff Hal Barker, Atkinson started the El Dorado County mounted patrol unit last summer.

Besides Atkinson and Sukau, deputies Steve Ragan and Dean Irwin are members of the patrol team. Deputy Tim Becker will be going for certification this summer.

The group gained certification during a test by the California Mounted Officers Organization in Rancho Murieta, Calif. In a one-night training session, the horses and riders faced flares, fireworks, helicopters, sirens, and hostile crowds. Sukau said the hours of training put in before the tests allowed the horses to deal with the overload.

Atkinson says the horses will be out during many of the big-event weekends this summer at Lake Tahoe, and they might be used for crowd control during the New Year's Eve celebrations at Stateline.

"After the first year people are going to see the value in this program," Atkinson predicts. "Many departments are rediscovering the value of horses as a public relations tool and a law enforcement tool. The horse is a natural magnet. People are hesitant to approach the car or bike, but with horses they come right up."

The officers add that a single horse and rider is almost the equivalent of 10 foot officers in crowd-control situations.

They note the New Orleans Police Department's mounted patrol is heavily used during Mardi Gras, where crowds can become so packed that people are literally carried along in the crush.

And Fort Lauderdale's police department became an instant believer in the usefulness of mounted officers during one of that city's infamous spring break problems.

One night more than 1,000 revelers took over a section of a state road and blocked the highway. Fifty patrol officers on foot and 10 officers in vehicles had little effect, but when eight mounted officers gave it a try, the street was cleared in fewer than five minutes.

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