Colorado Sheriff Turns to Community to Revive Mounted Patrol

By Jacob Factor | KDVR Fox 31

DENVER (KDVR) — Western Colorado has a rich history with horses, from cowboys and ranchers to mounted law enforcement.

Today, a Western Slope sheriff’s office is hoping to revitalize a tradition going back more than 140 years.

Though never officially disbanded, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office has had a mounted patrol of deputies from at least 1884 until budget constraints in the 1980s caused the posse to fade away. Now, the sheriff’s office wants to restart and revitalize the unit.

“We live in western Colorado, our heritage is tied to the effective use of the horse for agriculture, transportation, recreation, ‘search and rescue’ and for many years past as a part of effective law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. “A working mounted patrol unit not only provides protection and safety for the residents of Garfield County, it provides education and reflects our history and culture.”

But the sheriff’s office said it can’t bring them back on its own. It’s looking for donations from community members along with pledged dollar-for-dollar matching from Alpine Bank to get the unit started again.

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