EVERETT- They had to bring a shovel to this swearing-in ceremony.
Slick, Rocky and Wynona had their manes combed and coats brushed, and a high shine put on their saddles.
They showed no signs of being nervous on their big day. The shovel was there just in case. Michael O’Leary / The Herald
The horses became the newest Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies Tuesday at a unique ceremony at the Snohomish County campus plaza.
“We’re going to swear them in, but I don’t speak horse,” Sheriff Rick Bart told the crowd gathered to watch the county’s first mounted unit get commissioned.
Each horse raised a hoof, patiently waited for the ink to roll on and signed the only way it could – hoof to paper.
“It’s good to be officially recognized,” said Stanwood detective Barb Taylor, who rides Wynona, a 10-year-old Morgan.
The three-person unit has been patrolling county parks and trails and moseying through neighborhoods. They’ll be out at the Evergreen State Fair later this month.
“We wanted to recognize the heart and sweat these (deputies) have put into this,” Bart said of Tuesday’s ceremony.
Reserve deputy Ken Shefveland, who rides Slick, spearheaded the program about four years ago.
A year later, he, Taylor and reserve deputy Kurt McGowan trained with the Seattle Police Department.
The deputies volunteer their time. They also own the horses and pay for their feed and care out of their own pockets.
“No tax dollars are going for hay,” Bart said.
Donations for uniforms and equipment also are raised by the Pennies for Puppies and Ponies program.
The sheriff said he’d like to see the department expand the horse patrols and make it a specialized unit.
“We don’t have the money right now,” he said. “With the way the county is growing, I think it could be a viable unit in the next 10 years.”
Residents come out of their houses to talk to deputies and pet the horses, Shefveland said.
Even the bad guys can’t resist Slick’s big brown eyes and soft muzzle.
“He’s a great ambassador for law enforcement,” Shefveland said of the 15-year-old palomino quarter horse.
Kids love them, too.
Slick, a retired cow pony, has a soft spot for blondes. He’s been known to patiently wait while a little girl bear-hugs his leg.
The horses can be tough when they need to be. They’ve been trained to push through unruly crowds, breaking up potentially volatile situations, the deputies said.
“A horse equals three deputies. I don’t usually have to get off (my horse). He’ll get into it for me,” Kurt McGowan said.
Onlookers scrambled to pet Slick’s neck and get a picture standing next to Rocky on Tuesday.
Nine-month-old Amara Cercone stared in delight from her stroller.
“She loves horses; she loves elephants,” her aunt, Lisa Madara, explained. “The bigger the animal, the better.”
Some were almost jealous.
“I can’t imagine a better job,” said Tracy Peckham, a friend of Taylor’s. “You get paid to carry a gun and ride a horse. It’s like the Old West or something.”
Shefveland, a reserve deputy for 21 years, is an executive at a computer company when he’s not working the roads.
“The worst day riding a horse is better than the best day in a car,” he said.
The reactions he gets from people are incentive enough to hoof it every day.
“People’s eyes get really big when they get pulled over by a horse cop,” he said.
Reporter Chris Collins: 425-339-3436 or ccollins@heraldnet.com
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