As Mayor Brandon Johnson prepares to give his budget address Thursday, one idea should get tossed aside: eliminating Chicago’s mounted police unit.
We make this argument with the full knowledge that Johnson must close a projected $1.15 billion deficit. And we’ve said many times that Chicago’s fiscal woes stem less from a lack of revenue than from a chronic inability to control spending.
But Chicagoans tell us they want to see investments in public safety. A little goodwill doesn’t hurt, either, and that’s one of the main functions of the mounted police.
In August, Johnson’s Chicago Financial Future Task Force recommended disbanding the mounted police unit and selling off the horses.
That’s a bad idea, and we doubt it’d gain support in the City Council. We’re not sure if it’ll find its way into the mayor’s budget proposal, but we sure hope not.
“If there’s any discussion of getting rid of the CPD mounted unit, I will raise hell,” Ald. Matt O’Shea told us, and he added that the idea of selling the horses is especially absurd.
“You don’t sell an old horse,” he said, noting some of the horses were donated, not bought, to begin with.
Operating under the Special Functions division of the Chicago Police Department at a cost of about $2.7 million, the Mounted Patrol Unit patrols parks, the Loop, the lakefront and major shopping districts — providing visibility, deterrence and mobility where foot or vehicle patrols fall short. It also plays a major role in crowd management at large events, such as parades, protests and festivals, allowing officers to have better views above the crowd to spot potential trouble.
Members of the mounted unit — and their horses — also serve as ambassadors of goodwill, engaging with the public and boosting CPD’s visibility in a positive, nonconfrontational way. Tourists and Chicagoans alike stop and pose with mounted officers and horses, often giving the latter a welcome pat on the nose. (We can’t speak for the preferences of the former).
The mounted patrol is an important tool for public safety — one that helps bridge the trust gap between residents, some of whom have a less than generous view of police, and the officers tasked with protecting our city. Kids feel safer around officers on horseback, the presence of the animal offering comfort and evoking calm. This highly visible, less intimidating police presence does exactly what we want law enforcement to do: work in cooperation with the community.
And these horses aren’t just steeds, they’re living memorials bearing the names of officers who’ve died in the line of duty — the entrance to each stall is adorned with a photo and a tribute to the officer. In 2023, a horse was named in honor of Officer Ella French, who was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop in 2021.
Is Chicago really going to sell off Ella French’s horse?
Until Johnson delivers his address, this remains only a recommendation, and we hope it stays that way.
If Johnson wants to make real progress on the city’s finances, he’ll need to confront the true budget-busters — pensions, union contracts and debt — not make policing cuts that save pennies in a $17 billion city budget and erode morale.
That’s a lot harder than cutting a relatively small police unit, but it’s the only way to stop the bleeding long term.
Every department will have to take a haircut this budget season and for good reason, but we cannot support putting the mounted unit out to pasture.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor at letters@chicagotribune.com.
