Our Mission

The Minneapolis Mounted Police Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Mounted Patrol Unit of the Minneapolis Police Department. The Foundation offers businesses and private citizens the opportunity to make tax-deductible contributions that help maintain a highly visible and effective mounted patrol presence in the city.

Through community support, the Foundation provides supplemental funding for essential needs such as equipment, training, veterinary care, and other operational costs. In addition to financial support, the Foundation organizes fundraising and public outreach events to promote the mission and values of the Mounted Patrol.

By investing in the Mounted Police, the Foundation helps ensure that Minneapolis continues to benefit from positive, community-oriented policing that enhances public safety, fosters trust, and strengthens connections between officers and the communities they serve.

Minneapolis Mounted Police Unit

The Minneapolis Mounted Police Unit is highly visible and very well received by the public. It was created in 1996 with two riders and three police horses. Today the unit has 10 horses, mostly donated by private citizens. It is overseen by the Special Operation Division and has one full-time Mounted Patrol Sergeant. There are currently 20 sworn police officers who are fully trained riders.

The Mounted Patrol is a valuable asset to the community for several reasons, including the following:

Crowd Control – The expertise of a mounted unit officer in crowd control is renowned. The officers are used extensively at concerts, parades, sporting events, demonstrations and other events that take place throughout the year. It has been estimated that one mounted officer on horseback has the effect of ten officers on foot.
Crime Control – A mounted officer can be seen for blocks, presenting a greater crime deterrent; every mounted officer is 10 feet tall. Being on horseback enables a mounted officer to see at greater distances as well as over privacy fences and other tall barriers. Mounted officers are also able to ride on horseback into areas where a squad car cannot go.
Search & Rescue – The officers and horses are trained for search and rescue. A mounted officer can carry ample supplies and remain searching for long periods of time.
Community Policing – Horses dissolve barriers and increase personal contact between the public and officers. Seldom is public attention so magnetically drawn to police as it is to an officer on horseback.

The elevated position of Mounted Officers makes them six times more visible and helps to spot and deter certain types of crime. The officer and horse provide a sense of protection to the citizens making use of public areas. On the streets, the Mounted Officers high position, visibility and mobility enable them to deal quickly with street disturbances and traffic problems. The Mounted Patrol brings high visibility and presence connecting them to the community they serve.

The unit currently assists with: