COPS ON HIGH HORSES

The scene on Monday afternoon in an alley off East Hastings has all the
makings of what has sadly become a Downtown Eastside cliche: disheveled men
and women, drenched from a downpour, injecting and smoking drugs behind the
Carnegie community centre.

Then Sgt. Geramy Field and Const. Trish Schulze enter the alley-on horseback.

It's a sight addicts, dealers and residents of the drug-plagued
neighbourhood will become familiar with over the next three months, as
Vancouver police attempt to rid the streets and alleys of drug dealers.

"We're getting some strange looks," admits Field, sitting atop Buddy as an
addict pauses to take a second look before moving on.

Field and Schulze are two of the 60 cops assigned to the Vancouver police's
city-wide enforcement team, which began its round-up of dealers Monday
morning. Normally used mostly for public relations, the horse-cop teams
will provide back-up to covert operations and uniformed officers in the
neighbourhood.

"We just don't want to be another pretty face; we want to be part of
helping with this initiative," says Field, noting the teams' presence alone
will reduce drug activity. "People think we just ride around and wave at
tourists, but we do a lot more than that."

At least two horse-cop teams per shift will work days and nights,
concentrating on the alleys in Chinatown and Gastown. The horses are
trained in crowd control and Field says the teams will even engage in
pursuits, if called upon.

"We can close the gap pretty fast," she says, noting stopping a criminal is
a lot like herding cattle. "Generally most people will stop, but if they go
into a building we're hooped."

As Field and Schulze approach Pender Street, a wide-eyed Bradford
Keewatincappo stops to pat Buddy. A few minutes earlier, he was drinking
beer with a friend in a pub when he heard cops on horseback were in the alleys.

"I said, 'Yeah, right.' But, wow-it's true," says Keewatincappo. "This is
great. You see a policeman on a horse, you go talk to them. I'm glad
they're out here."

Field smiles as she hears Keewatincappo talk about the number of cops on
horseback in his hometown of Calgary. Only four hours into her shift, she's
heard a lot of horse stories from people in the neighbourhood.

Field says many Downtown Eastside residents come from horsing communities
and miss seeing the animals. The presence of a horse seems to knock down
the barrier between cop and resident, she says.

"I think most people have a penchant for animals."

In fact, the reception from the public was overwhelmingly positive Monday
as both cops trotted their horses across Hastings, near Main, with the odd
joker yelling "Hi-ho, Silver!"

Though many of the alleys are strewn with broken glass and syringes, Field
says the horses' hooves are fitted with horseshoes that have an abrasive
protective coating. The horses are also never left alone or tied up-no
matter which part of the city they're working in.

During their breaks, the horses will be fed and rested at a temporary
stable set up in the parkade of the police station at 312 Main St. All nine
of the squad's horses live in a stable at Stanley Park when they're not
on-shift.

The addition of the horse-cop teams to the city-wide enforcement team means
less presence in the West End and Stanley Park, but Keewatincappo believes
it's worth it.

"Think of the tourists that might come back here when this place is cleaned
up."