The Seattle Police Department is disbanding its long-running mounted unit in an effort to save money and redeploy officers.
Three to five officers, as well as a lieutenant, in the mounted unit will be moved to regular patrols, KCPQ-TV reports. The previous owners of the unit's horses will be given the opportunity take back ownership.
"As SPD continues to recover from (the) loss of hundreds of officers over the past four years, we have to carefully prioritize how to use existing scarce resources," the department said in a statement. "The highest priority is maintaining the ability to respond quickly to emergency calls, and effectively investigate dangerous criminal behavior so the community is protected. This requires that we reduce resources for work that does not directly support these two priorities."
The move to disband the mounted unit was part of the Mayor Bruce Harrell's proposed 2025-2026 budget. Under the proposal, the department would receive a $62 million increase to its budget from the previous fiscal year.
The unit began in the 1880s, and it was disbanded in 1934 before it was revived in 1973.
