This year Balboa Park celebrates its 100th year since it was named and formed in 1910. Balboa Park has frequently been called "The Heart of San Diego". In 1983 the Mounted Police Unit was reformed after a many year lapse, to combat the extreme criminal activity that had taken up residency there, including the stabbing of one of the actors in the Old Globe Theatre. The Mounted Patrol was brought back because it is the MOST EFFICIENT WAY to patrol a very complex and large park that includes rugged canyons and also heavily used tourist attractions. On top of a tall horse (and these are TALL horses) an officer can see across a crowd and into activities within that crowd. On top of a tall horse an officer can cut through rugged brush in a canyon area and see down into vegetation where homeless encampments can be found. Throughout our county this year these illegal encampments have been responsible for starting wildfires and many other problems. Officers on foot CANNOT do this work, and there is no police vehicle that can truly access these areas. On this centennial anniversary of Balboa Park, let's not let it return to its crime-ridden condition of the early '80s!! Help keep the Mounted Patrol!
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