HIGHLANDS RANCH —Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Brinkworth is big, standing well over 6 feet tall. He’s an absolute mountain when atop his horse, a Clydesdale named Joshua.
“My little Shetland pony,” Brinkworth joked as he climbed into the saddle last week in the parking lot of in Highlands Ranch.
The duo form what some call a “10-foot cop,” providing Brinkworth with a high vantage point, but their monthly presence on Douglas county trails and in open space areas is intended to attract residents rather than surprise them.
They comprise 1/6 of the ‘s , a unit specially trained for search and rescue, crowd control, public relations and other duties.
“The sheriff felt we needed this because we’re a Western sheriff’s office, and this is a part of our heritage,” unit commander Lt. Robert Rotherham said of the “We have a lot of different functions.”
Rotherham rides his horse, Admiral, with the unit, training with Denver police on skills ranging from crowd control to dignitary escort. In rural and suburban Douglas County, residents are more likely to see them on Highlands Ranch’s 70 miles of trails or marching as part of the .
“We’ve done patrols at the . We’ve done Walmart grand openings. We’ve even gone up to the to check for illegal hunting in the fall,” Brinkworth said. “It’s just about the positive interactions you have with citizens.”
That positivity was apparent at the rec center last week when Brinkworth and three other deputies prepared for a 6- to 10-mile patrol. At least a half dozen passersby stopped to say hello, ask questions and pet the horses.
“I think the horses bring more people out, then we can talk to them about what’s going on in their neighborhoods,” Deputy Tammy Black said last week as she prepared her horse, Wyatt. “Everyone’s an animal lover, right?”
Horseback patrols also have mobility and stealth not possible with motorcycles or cars. Deputy Michael Moore said in Highlands Ranch the unit will will patrol areas near schools to look for truant kids. Each ride provides valuable experience, too, as the horses have to be desensitized to stimuli — like walking on strange surfaces and being around big crowds — that would upset a field horse.
“We’re looking for kids tagging … and other possible criminal activities,” said Moore, who rides a 19-year-old quarter horse named Rowdy. “Any time you’re out on your horse is a training, because it get them used to different stimulus.”
Rotherham said the unit is largely self sustaining. Members own and care for their animals; blankets and bridles and other equipment are paid for through donations.
Black and Deputy Phil Domenico recently joined the unit, expanding it to its full, authorized size of six horse-and-rider pairs. Rotherham said other deputies have sought to join but their animals did not have the required calm temperament.
Domenico took his horse, Scout, out for his first patrol last week after getting him certified with a week-long training last summer.
“We worked on wedge formations and different things we would do to control a crowd,” Domenico said of the extensive program. “A lot of us did some extra riding after that to reinforce some of things we worked on with our animals.”
Douglas County senior land manager and senior ranger Scott McEldowney organizes a volunteer mounted patrol of about 50 civilians that serve as ambassadors and educators for users of the county’s estimated 13,500 acres of open space. Those civilian riders have worked alongside the sheriff’s mounted patrol in the past, including during a search for in 2014. McEldowney said he sees the mounted patrol as a valuable asset.
“From my perspective, the sheriff’s mounted unit is a highly trained unit with unique skills and ability,” McEldowney said. “Not only for public relations through parades and other events they patrol at, but also for search-and-rescue and special circumstances which requires their combination of training, authority and mobility.”
Joe Rubino: 303-954-2953, jrubino@denverpost.com or @RubinoJC
