Charlie — not just any horse, of course — dies after tumor discovered, Nassau County Police Department says
Charlie, a 19-year-old quarter horse with the Nassau County Police Department's mounted unit, died Aug. 5 after he was diagnosed with a tumor in his intestines. He helped train the last 10 officers who transferred into the unit, officials said. Credit: NCPD
A Nassau County police horse named after a 9/11 first responder was euthanized Saturday after being diagnosed with an intestinal tumor.
Charlie, a 19-year-old quarter horse, had fallen ill suddenly and was brought to a veterinarian, the police department wrote in a news release Sunday announcing details.
“Charlie’s great temperament and demeanor helped train the last 10 Nassau County Police Officers who transferred into the unit,” the release said.
His namesake was Police Officer Charles D. Cole Jr., who worked at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks and died at age 49 on Aug. 14, 2011, of a rare form of brain cancer that his family blames on his time at Ground Zero. During his 24 years with the department, Cole worked at the Seventh Precinct, in highway patrol and in emergency services.
The horse, which began working for the department in 2016 after training, became known as the gentle soul of the barn and was deployed during presidential visits, trips by schoolchildren and more.
It’s unknown when the first horse was used in policing, but most historians trace its roots to King Charles’ 1629 “Articles of War,” according to a 1998 history in the journal Policing. Beginning in 1758, a police force in Great Britain introduced two horses, and over the decades men on horses were deployed to prevent crime and apprehend criminals. By 1805, London had organized what’s probably the earliest formal mounted police force. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries, mounted cops were used to quell crowds, rioting, social disorder, labor strikes and what the article describes as “the militant suffragette movement.”
Nassau’s Mounted Police Unit dates to 1978, according to The New York Times, which reported that duties were primarily park patrol and crowd control.
Decades later, reports commissioned by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the state board that runs Nassau’s finances, have urged the county twice to disband the unit. A 2017 report said the county could save more than $584,000 annually by doing so.
“The unit is not a mandated service,” the auditors wrote, and “is primarily used for crowd control and security during public events.”
Officers can “provide the same level of security at a far lower expense given the high costs of housing and maintenance associated with horses.”
Richard LeBrun, a police department spokesman, told Newsday in February that the horses help police patrols at shopping malls, festivals, protests, schools and other major events.
The Suffolk County Police Department doesn’t have police horses, its press office said Sunday.
A Nassau County police horse named after a 9/11 first responder was euthanized Saturday after being diagnosed with an intestinal tumor.
Charlie, a 19-year-old quarter horse, had fallen ill suddenly and was brought to a veterinarian, the police department wrote in a news release Sunday announcing details.
“Charlie’s great temperament and demeanor helped train the last 10 Nassau County Police Officers who transferred into the unit,” the release said.
His namesake was Police Officer Charles D. Cole Jr., who worked at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks and died at age 49 on Aug. 14, 2011, of a rare form of brain cancer that his family blames on his time at Ground Zero. During his 24 years with the department, Cole worked at the Seventh Precinct, in highway patrol and in emergency services.
The horse, which began working for the department in 2016 after training, became known as the gentle soul of the barn and was deployed during presidential visits, trips by schoolchildren and more.
It’s unknown when the first horse was used in policing, but most historians trace its roots to King Charles’ 1629 “Articles of War,” according to a 1998 history in the journal Policing. Beginning in 1758, a police force in Great Britain introduced two horses, and over the decades men on horses were deployed to prevent crime and apprehend criminals. By 1805, London had organized what’s probably the earliest formal mounted police force. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries, mounted cops were used to quell crowds, rioting, social disorder, labor strikes and what the article describes as “the militant suffragette movement.”
Nassau’s Mounted Police Unit dates to 1978, according to The New York Times, which reported that duties were primarily park patrol and crowd control.
Decades later, reports commissioned by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the state board that runs Nassau’s finances, have urged the county twice to disband the unit. A 2017 report said the county could save more than $584,000 annually by doing so.
“The unit is not a mandated service,” the auditors wrote, and “is primarily used for crowd control and security during public events.”
Officers can “provide the same level of security at a far lower expense given the high costs of housing and maintenance associated with horses.”
Richard LeBrun, a police department spokesman, told Newsday in February that the horses help police patrols at shopping malls, festivals, protests, schools and other major events.
The Suffolk County Police Department doesn’t have police horses, its press office said Sunday.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
Judge delays Trump sentencing ... Holiday travel forecast ... Navigating politics over Thanksgiving ... FeedMe: Holiday pies ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
Judge delays Trump sentencing ... Holiday travel forecast ... Navigating politics over Thanksgiving ... FeedMe: Holiday pies ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
