El Paso County Sheriff’s Office teams with Norris-Penrose event center for full-time Mounted Unit
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - A new partnership between the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPCSO) and Norris-Penrose Event Center allows for the EPSCO's Mounted Team to operate full-time.
The announcement came Monday morning from El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal and Norris-Penrose Event Center General Manager Kyle Park.
Five horses and 12 sheriff's deputies now make up the only Mounted Unit in the Pikes Peak Region.
“When I was elected, I promised the community that I would not only keep our Western heritage, but actually promote it,” Sheriff Roybal said.
He added that the partnership will allow him to do that as well as give the Mounted Unit increased access to the horses for various functions.
Those functions being, "administrative formations, search and rescue, evidence and fugitive searches, Honor Guard presentations, patrol, crowd control, arrest, pursuits, traffic stops, vehicle escorts, and a multitude of other services to the citizens of El Paso County."
Sheriff Roybal said, “If we have a child that's missing or people are missing, a horse can cover far more terrain quickly than a person or human canine can do. So, it's a valuable tool as far as looking for how to cover large areas of land in a short amount of time.”
While the partnership benefits the law enforcement team, it’s also giving a local staple in the community the opportunity to give back.
Norris-Penrose General Manager Kyle Park says a mission of center is to perpetuate Western heritage in the community and having horses back on his property is a big step in the right direction.
“This is a good start to bring more horses on to our property so that we can continue to be a horse centric and equestrian centric facility and continue to show new generations what horsemanship is and what the Western heritage of the Pikes Peak Region is is all about,” Park said.
According to the EPCSO, the Mounted Unit was formally designated in 1996 to support any component of the Sheriff’s Office, primarily in rural areas where traditional patrol techniques are combined with the abilities and advantages of having horses.
