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Please Keep Horses Out of the Police Force
  1. Signatures
    785 out of 1,000,000
    Petitioning
    1. The Governor of PA (+ 3 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The Governor of PA
      • The PA State Senate
      • The PA State House
      • Police Commissioner Ramsey
  2. Created By
    Animal ACTivists of Philly
    Philadelphia, PA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Philadelphia police officials recently announced a plan to bring back the mounted police unit.   The mounted unit was eliminated in 2004 by Mayor John Street to reduce costs.

Inhumane:  Horses are prey animals, evolved over thousands of years to flee when frightened.  Thus, a mounted police unit puts an animal that prefers to flee from violence on the front lines of violence.  The horse doesn’t have a choice but sensible humans do.

Money:  After the initial estimated start-up cost of $1.2 million, the mounted police unit in Philadelphia will require additional funding each year that the city simply can't afford.

Logic:   a mounted police unit is flawed, anachronistic and a poor response to combating crime in our city.  There is absolutely no replacement for foot or mechanized patrols to deter criminals.  To expect that 25, 50 or even 100 horses can make a significant difference to reducing crime is irrational.  While a large animal can create fear in the minds of criminal participants in a crowd, it is no solution.  "Flash" mobs will not wait for horses to show up and then disperse.

Please keep the mounted unit in the past where it belongs.

 

Recent Signatures

Please keep horses out of the police force

Greetings,

I oppose the mounted unit for the following reasons:

Inhumane: Horses are prey animals, evolved over thousands of years to flee when frightened. Thus, a mounted police unit puts an animal that prefers to flee from violence on the front lines of violence. The horse doesn’t have a choice but sensible humans do.

Money: After the initial estimated start-up cost of $1.2 million, the mounted police unit in Philadelphia will require additional funding each year that the city simply can't afford.

Logic: a mounted police unit is flawed, anachronistic and a poor response to combating crime in our city. There is absolutely no replacement for foot or mechanized patrols to deter criminals. To expect that 25, 50 or even 100 horses can make a significant difference to reducing crime is irrational. While a large animal can create fear in the minds of criminal participants in a crowd, it is no solution "Flash" will not wait for horses to show up and then disperse.

Please keep the mounted unit in the past where it belongs.

[Your name]

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