CPS hosts Police Mounted Unit Training Course

The Calgary Police Service Mounted Unit is excited to be hosting a Police Mounted Unit Training Course that is focused on refining the operational skills needed for policing.

Citizens can be on the lookout for officers participating in this course, as officers and their horses will be doing general patrol training throughout the downtown core today, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017.

This course teaches both police officers and their Police Service Horses various skills that are necessary to operate effectively in a police environment while on routine mounted patrols. As well, the course will teach officers and their horses how to safely operate in a volatile crowd situation and in various search scenarios.

This training is extremely valuable to the Service’s Mounted Unit, which is committed to maintaining public safety and providing operational-based policing to the community. Having officers on horseback provides unique advantages to the Service that officers in patrol cars are sometimes limited by, such as having a high observation vantage point. As well, officers paired with horses can be more effective in urban search and rescue situations, patrolling and responding to calls for service in parks, wooded areas and riverbanks, and in crowd management and de-escalation.

The two-week, 100-hour course is being facilitated by guest instructor Sgt. Kris McCarthy from the Toronto Police Service’s Mounted Unit. The TPS Mounted Unit has been recognized as a leader in North America and has over 100 years of operational experience. Sgt. McCarthy has served with the TPS Mounted Unit for over 18 years and is regarded as one of the most qualified instructors in this field.

In total, six CPS members will complete this course along with three members from the Alberta RCMP.