All are standardbreds and former racehorses.
Like Newark, Philadelphia ended its mounted police unit - in 2004 for budgetary reasons after 32 years.
According to then-Managing Director Phil Goldsmith, its 19 horses cost between $400,000 and $500,000 annually in room, board, and grooming.
But in November, the Police Department launched a campaign to raise about $2 million to restore what was always considered a highly effective program. State Sen. Larry Farnese (D., Phila.) promised a $100,000 state grant, local businesses such as Comcast Corp., 7-Eleven Inc., and Verizon Wireless gave a combined $50,000, and the nonprofit Philadelphia Police Foundation is still collecting donations.
"It's going to start," Lt. Raymond Evers, a Philadelphia police spokesman, said. "We're just not sure when. The commissioner wants it. The mayor wants it. It's about funding and getting our shop in order. But sometimes you don't want to pass up a gift."
Accommodations are still being worked out, said Evers, but the four Newark horses will likely board at a barn in Chester County until they are ready to be trained and called to duty.
"It was definitely an effective patrol technique," Evers said, "and it was great for community relations."
Evers recalled mounted-police stations on Passyunk Avenue, South Street, and Rittenhouse Square, and he described the unit's many benefits. Outside sports stadiums, mounted officers gained an extra 10 feet of vision. In Fairmount Park, they kept a close eye on joggers. At demonstrations, parades, and conventions, an officer on horseback was great at controlling crowds.
Unlike a patrol car, Evers said, a horse can travel on sidewalks, navigate narrow streets, and jump over things.
