(July 24, 2024) — The Atlanta Police Mounted Patrol is moving from Grant Park to the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center after 30 years. To celebrate and thank the community, the Atlanta Police Foundation hosted the 2024 Mounted Patrol Summer Fest on Tuesday.
The event allowed community members to interact with the Mounted Patrol officers and enjoy activities such as food, farm tours, pony rides, face painting, and field games for the children.
Established in the early 1990s and reactivated in the early 2000s with the help of the Atlanta Police Foundation, the Mounted Patrol has been a vital part of the Grant Park community. For over three decades, the unit has provided essential crowd management and police visibility at major events, including concerts, conventions, and Atlanta’s sporting events.
According to the Atlanta Police Department website, the presence of the mounted patrol horses has a calming effect on crowds, and the officers’ elevated position provides superior observation.
The new Public Safety Training Center will offer a well-equipped facility for both the officers and their horses.
“The new facility will have something that this place does not, size, space and larger pastures,” said Lieutenant Greg Lyon, Commander of the Mounted Patrol. “We love it here but after 30 plus years of living here, the barn is falling apart. We need a place with more space.”
These community events help raise awareness of the Mounted Patrol’s role in Atlanta’s public safety.
“The Grant Park community will always be remembered and honored for hosting the Mounted Patrol for over 30 years,” said Sgt. Will Schapker, an officer with APD. “I’m going to miss the community.”
To learn more about the unit, visit Atlanta Police Foundation Mounted Patrol or call 404-624-0693.