McKinney Mounted Patrol Unit goes full time
By Allen Rich
Aug 6, 2009
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After three years of serving the residents of McKinney on a part-time basis, the McKinney Mounted Patrol Unit has now been elevated to full-time status.  Mounted officers will be assigned to patrol parks, the historical district and downtown McKinney.

Not only are mounted policemen very visible and therefore an effective deterrent to criminal activity, but, in Texas where horses are ingrained into the culture and symbolic of the state's heritage, the mounted patrol is proving to be another valuable conduit to the community at large.

The unit is under the direction of Captain Ron Jones, patrol division commander, and mounted officers work in pairs to increase the police presence in high-visibility areas of McKinney.  The Mounted Patrol Unit is capable of performing all facets of routine police work, but, with children begging their parents to let them see the horses up close, obviously community relations are a high priority.

"I just love to see the kids' eyes light up," one mounted officer said with a smile.

McKinney Police also patrols the historic district, parks and the downtown area with two full-time bike patrol officers, Randy Patton and A. Smith.  The bike unit, also under the direction of Captain Jones, has been another effective branch of the McKinney Police Department and the city is hoping to secure federal grant funding to expand the bike unit.