KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knoxville Police Department is growing its mounted patrol unit with three new horses. To welcome the horses to the city, KPD and the Downtown Knoxville Alliance are asking for the public’s help in naming the new additions.
The horses arrived in July and are currently in training. KPD said they’ll begin participating in patrol operations soon. The horses were bought by the Downtown Knoxville Alliance to expand KPD’s Mounted Patrol Unit and enhance visibility in Downtown, Old City, and at special events.
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The new horses include:
- A black four-year-old Morgan/Percheron cross
- A black and white five-year-old Quarter Horse/Belgian-Percheron cross
- A black six-year-old Quarter Horse/Percheron cross
To submit a name, visit www.downtownknoxville.org/horses. Submissions will be accepted through September 5. A selection committee will review the entries and choose three names once the submission period closes. The people who submit the winning names will win a prize pack from Downtown Knoxville Alliance and KPD.
The submission website notes that if the winning name is submitted by more than one person, the earliest submission will be chosen as the winner.
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KPD announced plans for a Mounted Patrol Unit in December 2024, with officers conducting their first patrols on Tuesday, April 15, to coincide with the Knoxville Smokies home opener at Covenant Health Park. The department’s first two horses are named Waggoner and Phyl. Waggoner is named after Officer Mike Waggoner, who has been with KPD for over 50 years, mentoring hundreds of officers. Phyl is named after the mother of Captain Ryan Morrow, who led the training for the Mounted Patrol Unit…