The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit was established in 1978, as a means to add additional, effective patrol presence to Edward Hines Parkway, a 17-mile long park that snakes through seven Wayne County communities. State law and park rules were already being enforced by Sheriff’s deputies in marked patrol units, but during the 1970’s, the park saw an increased drug activity, unruly groups, and assaults.

Young Girl Smiles with Sheriff Evans at Event

Under the command of Lieutenant Warren C. Evans, now the Sheriff of Wayne County, the Mounted Unit was introduced in Hines Park, with its barn at its current location at Hines and Newburgh Road. Initially, the unit consisted of four officers. With regular and highly visible patrols, coupled with the ability to infiltrate areas inaccessible to patrol cars, the unit was successful in returning the parkway to what it was always intended to be - a beautiful, safe place for families and all citizens to enjoy.

Due to budgetary challenges in 1981, the Mounted Unit was disbanded. In 1983, however, the unit returned with private contributions from community leaders who raised nearly $40,000 to maintain a mounted patrol in Hines Park. Since then, the Mounted Unit has been utilized for search and rescue operations, traffic control, crowd control, and numerous protocol engagements, Citizens look forward to the unit’s regular appearances at county and state fairs, community festivals, church events, career and law days at schools and district courts, and of course, hundreds of parades. But there is more to be done.

Under Sheriff Evans, the mission of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Mounted Unit is to provide a full service equine patrol presence that helps create a safer Metropolitan Detroit, thereby making our community a more pleasant place to live, creating positive connections between citizens and police officers and enhancing the image of the Sheriff’s Office. It is the last local law enforcement unit in Michigan with full-time mounted patrols.

The unit currently has twelve horses, one Sergeant, three full-time officers and a civilian consultant/trainer. An additional seven officers were recently trained and certified as mounted officers, however, for budgetary reasons, they are currently assigned to other units in the department.

In order to provide patrols in Detroit and an important presence at key community events, the time for expansion has arrived.