Mr. Taylor,
I am writing in response to your email send to Chief of Police William
Blair dated the 24th of September 2009. regarding horse manure on city
streets.
The practice of the Toronto Police Mounted Unit in regard to manure
droppings by Police Horses while on patrol is the following:
When horses are on city streets, the manure for the most part is left on
the roadway to decompose. Horse manure will decompose very rapidly
once the water content has left it generally within a few hours depending
on the atmospheric temperature. As horses are herbivore animals, and
their diet consists entirely of vegetation ( Hay, Grains & Water ) the
remaining contents of the manure is almost entirely grain and grass
remnants, which when completely dried out ( 2-3 days ) will blow away as
dust particles. As oppose to dog droppings, horse manure is
completely and quickly biodegradable and very environmentally friendly and
beneficial to our green spaces.
In regard to officers picking up after their horses, Mounted Unit officers
are instructed to adhere to the following Mounted Unit policy: When on
patrol on city streets, officers will only dismount to clear manure if it
is drop in a hazardous or clearly obstructive location. We discourage
officers from dismounting while on patrol in the downtown area as it is
very hazardous for both the officer and horse. Officers will always
clean and clear manure dropped on private property.
In regard to your inquiry about our horses wearing a 'bun bag' or manure
catcher. Our horses do not, and will not wear these items while on
patrol for the following reasons: The Toronto Police Horses are
operation working animals who's primary function is for crowd management
and support of officers on foot in dealing with large often aggressive
crowds. The wearing of a manure catcher would be a great hindrance to
both the horse and rider when performing these operational duties. As
well, the presences of these items on the horse pose a safety risk to both
horse and rider. Our horses are required at times to be quite agile and
quick on their feet when engaging large crowds, the wearing of this item
would absolutely hinder the horses movements and would pose a risk of
entanglement in the hind legs which is a grave safety risk for the horse,
rider, and people in close proximity to the horse.
Additionally, horses who do wear such items are very prone to health
issues and infections in and around the hindquarters as a direct result of
wearing these items.
Mounted Unit Officers go to great lengths and efforts to ensure
uncompromising healthcare, and grooming of our horses and would never use
devices on them that would compromise their health or safety. Lastly
on this issue, I believed you were under the impression that the RCMP
horses use such devices on their horses. We have a close working
relationship with the RCMP Mounted Officers, and I can guarantee you that
the information you received was incorrect, like ourselves the RCMP
horses do not, nor have ever used these items on their horses.
In closing, the Toronto Police Service and the Mounted Unit appreciate
your concerns and will always work with our communities to address any
problems and to work constructively to resolve issues. On a special note
of interest, within the past few months Mounted Officers on patrol in your
neighbourhood have been instrumental in the pursuit, apprehension, and
arrest of several persons for criminal offences such as armed robbery,
break and enter, impaired driving, assault, and attempted murder.
I hope the information contained in this email has been of some
assistance to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any
questions or wish to discuss this issue further.
Timothy Crone
Staff Sergeant #4725
Toronto Police Mounted Unit
office)
416-808-1701
fax)
416-808-1702
tim.crone@torontopolice.on.ca