Amid staffing concerns, the Worcester Police Department has announced that it is shutting down its mounted patrol unit.
"It was a great thing to have, but my job is to make a decision based on the facts, and right now we need police officers on the street answering calls," interim Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said.
He said the department is down a total of 56 officers, with 40 vacancies and another 16 officers injured on duty. The decision will save the department about $160,000, which will go toward training officers.
"Right now, we need to get as many boots on the ground as we can, and the way to do that is to go through every division in the department and replace people when we can so we can operate effectively," Saucier said.
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The mounted unit has been around since 2017, consisting of five horses, five officers, and one sergeant. The unit served as a welcome addition in community policing, with trips to schools and helping at large events.
"They did a great job. They had baseball cards, the kids loved them, but you gotta measure what our core function is again and that's to answer calls for service," Saucier said.
He said once the unit completes its prior commitments throughout this year, it will be shut down by next year. As for the horses, he said the department is trying to relocate them by reaching out to other municipalities who have mounted patrols.
