Animals have long been an important part of the police force. While K9 police dogs often rightly get credit for their work in the line of duty, the police horses of the mounted units sometimes don’t get their due.
But a police horse and his partner have worked hard to promote the good these horses do for their communities… and now after years of service, Buzz is retiring from the force.
Officer Lorie Phillips is part of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s mounted division, and her partner is a horse named Buzz.
The two formed a strong bond, and Phillips hoped they could help reach people and inform them about police horses.
“I want to let everyone know how beautiful and useful mounted police horses are,” she told Horse Nation.
“I often feel mounted patrols are forgotten or misunderstood, and wanted to reach across the world and let everyone know mounted units are needed and still a valuable asset to our citizens.”
Buzz, named after astronaut Buzz Aldrin, has been part of the mounted patrol since 2005. He is now 19 years old.
While police horses have a longer lifespan than dogs and have longer police careers, Buzz has reached the age of retirement and is stepping down from the force.
Luckily, he’ll have a good home: he will still belong to Officer Phillips. While she is sad their professional career together is coming to an end, she’s happy they’ll still be together.
Phillips says she’s looking for a trailer so they can continue to travel the country and appear at events, continuing to spread the word about police horses.
And his social media accounts will continue, following Buzz’s adventures as a civilian.
Congrats to Buzz on his long career on the force. Enjoy your well-earned retirement! Share this story!
