Community Partnership exists as one of the Core Values of the Madison Police Department. For many years we were incredibly fortunate to partner with Dr. Darren Bean. Under his direction, the MPD became one of the first police agencies in the country to implement 'Cardio Cerebral Resuscitation, or CCR. Today this method has become a standard of first responder training throughout the country. Tragically, Dr. Bean lost his life in a Med Flight helicopter crash in May of 2008. His legacy however, lives on today through the life saving efforts that countless MPD officers administer as emergency first responders. Recently, his wife Stacey began a new partnership with the Madison Police Department to honor his legacy.
On Tuesday, July 21st, 2015, the Madison Police Department introduced the newest member of the Mounted Patrol Team, Police Horse Doctor "B" (Doc) to the public. 'Doc' is a 5 year old Shire that stands 16.3 HH (fancy horse talk for 67 inches tall at the shoulders). Doc weighs in at 1400 lbs which puts him on the small side relative to most of the other 4 horses in the unit. Doc is able to assist his rider with a variety of police functions such as: neighborhood patrol, demonstrations, crowd management, and search & rescue.
Doc is the first horse to join the Mounted Patrol unit through a horse sponsorship program developed by the 501(c)3 non-profit 'Friends of Madison Mounted Horse Patrol' (www.madisonmounted.org ). The purchase price, boarding and veterinary costs associated with Doc will be entirely covered by the non-profit thanks to the generous, ongoing donation of Stacey Bean.
The Mounted Unit is partially funded through the City budget, but is also reliant upon the ongoing fundraising efforts of their volunteer non-profit group to sustain their operational costs. The goal of the unit is to expand the horse sponsorship program to all of the horses in the unit. This partnership between the MPD, 'Friends of Madison Mounted, and Stacey Bean is a shining example of what can be accomplished when we work with members of the community. Dr. Darren Bean's impact continues to be felt and his contributions to this community continue to live on through 'Doc' and Stacey!
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the MPD's Mounted Patrol please contact Sergeant Erik Fuhremann at efuhremann@cityofmadison.com or 608-266-4590.
This blog was authored by Sergeant Erik Fuhremann.