Seattle Police ends historic horse patrol unit after 150 years

Seattle Police ends mounted patrol unit

The Seattle Police Department, on course to receive a massive $62 million boost to its budget in 2025, is ending its Mounted Patrol Unit after 150 years to save money.

SEATTLE - The Seattle Police Department (SPD), on course to receive a massive $62 million boost to its budget in 2025, is ending its Mounted Patrol Unit after 150 years to save money.

The Seattle Police Mounted Patrol Unit has been in service since the 1880s, only phased out after the Longshoreman's Strike in 1934, before coming back in 1973, according to the Seattle Police Foundation.

Mayor Bruce Harrell last week announced his proposal for the 2025-2026 city budget, which includes $457,860,186 for the Seattle Police Department — a $62 million increase compared to 2024.

On page 362, the budget calls to "remove support for SPD's Mounted Patrol Unit," with expenditures listed at $230,030.

"As SPD continues to recover from [the] loss of hundreds of officers over the past four years, we have to carefully prioritize how to use existing scarce resources. The highest priority is maintaining the ability to respond quickly to emergency calls, and effectively investigate dangerous criminal behavior so the community is protected," reads a statement from the police department. "This requires that we reduce resources for work that does not directly support these two priorities."

According to the SPD budget for 2025-2026, the mounted patrol officers would be reassigned to regular patrol. That amounts to some three to five officers, plus a supervisor and a lieutenant.

These changes come as the Seattle Police Department, despite being funneled millions more dollars every year, struggles to shore up its massive officer shortage. The police department says that former owners of the horses donated to their Mounted Patrol Unit will be given the opportunity to take back ownership.