FALL 5 A.
SAAS
AW
\ 8/19/25
agenda
ee
item
4.2 no
matter
that
no
matter
that
==
=anJose
City
Sa
2026-27
2025-26
budeast
pie
oN a
|
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sh
a
£ eo
S
p3Ee
5 SS
.
6 ce
‘
ia
|
ia
’
a
m
‘4
millies
.
millio
r
rave
have
.
a
few
questions
=
CE
SOME
HORSES! ey nace Ry
if
ongoing
costs
for
horses
cost
$280K
in
2011-12*
why
would
such
costs
for
(3}
horses
be
only
$120K
in
2025-26?
**
““Tt
costs
$280,000
to maintain
the
Mounted
Unit
for
one
year
- and
that's
only
two
officers
on
horseback,
down
from
eight
years
ago.”
ee
eS
;
Oo
See
also
MOU
between
City
and
Friends
of Mounted
United
12/15/2010
690276
HMU
Friends
MOUJM
(
:
**
Joseph
memo
for
council
agenda
8/1925
item
4.2 page
4 t,
“The
HMU
will
utilize
officers
on
a
voluntary,
overtime
basis,
ith
compensation
drawn
from
unspent
walking
beat
ertime
funds
allocated
to
the
Central
Division.
Due
to
ustained
challenges
in
staffing
walking
beat
shifts,
these
funds
remain
underutilized
.....“
:
Youre
going
to pay
the
horse
officers
at overtime
rate
to take
horse
out
of stall,
brush,
clean
hooves,
tack-up,
put
into
trailer,
transport
to location,
remove
from
trailer,
“patrol,”
put
into
trailer,
transport
to stables,
remove
tack,
brush,
water,
return
to
staff?
OH
- Who
is mucking
the
stalls?
Horse
officers
can
just
show
up
on
voluntary
basis?
If “sustained
challenges”
to staffing
walking
beats
exist,
why
would
getting
horses
fix
that
challenge?
“The
horses
will
be
housed
in
the
Department’s
stables
facility,
....
It
is
anticipated
that
the
facility
is
in
good
condition
and
will
not
need
any
additional
funding
for
capital
improvements
at
this
time.”
~ Why
not
send
a professional
to the
stables
to make
an
assessment
of current
condition
instead
of
relying
on
anticipation?
“Recent
evaluations
to
enha
ance
uniformed
police
presence
in
peers
San
José
have
nig
ae a
the
MU
[su
°
_
oer
s
abi =
to
quickly
respons
to.”
ee
NA
0 u
.
ic
2S
Pa
nm,
es esting
a mute
unit
and
re response
of the
mounted
unit
on
— enforcement
the
HMUi
isa
unique
aud
effective
tool
for
sitive
community
engagement.”
es
What
about
the
the
city
converting
an
SJPD
patrol
car
into
acruise-
-ready
piece
of art?
Can't
you
use
that
in parades,
festivals
and
s ye
events?
San
Jose
builds
bridge
between
police
and
lowriders.
San
Jose
Spotlight
9/20/23
A
2023
study
by
the
NIH
showed
that
mounted
police
officers
Ge
experience
significantly
higher
injury
rates
compared
to
their
non-
,*
mounted
counterparts. Do
we
really
need
more
worker
compensation
cases?
Will
additional
city
funds
be
needed
to cover
insurance
for
de
|
Int
J Environ
Res
Public
Health
2023
Jan
9;20(2):1144.
doi:
Ho
so0/ijenphe
00211
Sie
( es
ore propaga
a tha
etic
facts
See
note
mto
—
at
set
'
3 Me
budget
or City
Attorney
pene
ee
|
am
disbanded
in 2018
tue:
to budget
g staffing
|
ints“Arek
budget
& Staffing
levels
better
now?
2 ee
0 What
is the
projected
wage
cost
of 24 officers
workin
voluntary”
overtime
for
this
program:
oa
=
ve
could
uns
ent
walking
Central
Division
beat
overtime
7)
funds
be allocated?
oS @
Given
projected
budget
shortfall,
should
unspent
funds
be
used
or saved?
San Jose Downtown Association
28 N. First Street, Suite 1000
San Jose, CA 95113
sjdowntown.com
408.279.1775
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers,
On behalf of the San Jose Downtown Association, I am writing to express our strong support for the reinstatement of the San Jose Police Department Horse Mounted Unit.
The presence of Mounted Police would increase the vibrancy of Downtown San Jose by increasing liveliness and novelty and offer a unique way for law enforcement to interact with the public. I would say this is especially true of children, but I also have to admit to a getting a thrill every time I have seen a Mounted Unit come by my storefront and when possible, I always made it a point to engage with the officers.
At the same time the horses provide the Police with a commanding presence which can prove a deterrent to crime. The elevated view can provide a unique vantage point especially useful for crowd control and horse can go where motorized vehicle sometimes cannot.
The reinstatement of the San Jose Police Department Horse Mounted Unit would also be a strong show of civic pride in downtown San Jose, which encourage visitors and residents alike to come to downtown which should provide a sizable economic impact to the area.
We are very grateful for the generous donation from the San Jose Police Foundation to provide both the equipment, horses and training necessary to make this program a reality and strongly urge this Council to authorize the City Manager to accept this wonderful gift on behalf of Downtown San Jose
Best regards
Alan “Gumby” Marques
Interim CEO of the San Jose Downtown Association