The Chicago Police Department’s mounted unit takes part in Chicago’s Columbus Day parade along State Street on Oct. 13, 2025. | Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune
Is Chicago really going to sell off Ella French’s horse?
By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune
As Mayor Brandon Johnson prepares to give his budget address Thursday, one idea should get tossed aside: eliminating Chicago’s mounted police unit.
We make this argument with the full knowledge that Johnson must close a projected $1.15 billion deficit. And we’ve said many times that Chicago’s fiscal woes stem less from a lack of revenue than from a chronic inability to control spending.
But Chicagoans tell us they want to see investments in public safety. A little goodwill doesn’t hurt, either, and that’s one of the main functions of the mounted police.
In August, Johnson’s Chicago Financial Future Task Force recommended disbanding the mounted police unit and selling off the horses.
That’s a bad idea, and we doubt it’d gain support in the City Council. We’re not sure if it’ll find its way into the mayor’s budget proposal, but we sure hope not.
“If there’s any discussion of getting rid of the CPD mounted unit, I will raise hell,” Ald. Matt O’Shea told us, and he added that the idea of selling the horses is especially absurd.
“You don’t sell an old horse,” he said, noting some of the horses were donated, not bought, to begin with.
Officers Maria Kuc and Syed Kazmi wash and brush horses on Feb. 6, 2025, in the Chicago Police Department’s mounted unit stables at the South Shore Cultural Center. | Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune
Operating under the Special Functions division of the Chicago Police Department at a cost of about $2.7 million, the Mounted Patrol Unit patrols parks, the Loop, the lakefront and major shopping districts — providing visibility, deterrence and mobility where foot or vehicle patrols fall short. It also plays a major role in crowd management at large events, such as parades, protests and festivals, allowing officers to have better views above the crowd to spot potential trouble.
Read more here.
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