Pittsburgh council taking step to resurrect mounted police
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh City Council was expected to take the first step in the city’s efforts to resurrect mounted police.
The measure to be introduced Tuesday would reopen a trust fund for the unit.
The city disbanded the mounted unit in 2003 when budget problems saw the city teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. The city has since relied on Allegheny County mounted police when it needed officers on horseback at larger civic events.
Public Safety spokeswoman Sonya Toler says reopening the trust fund is just a preliminary step.
The city must still find money to put in the fund, probably from charitable foundations and grants. The money is needed to buy and house the horses and then maintain them.
The city has yet to estimate how much the unit will cost.