I covered Erie County government for a lot of years.  I know it's comprised of many offices, agencies, and departments.  I sometimes wondered which entity of county government I'd like to be a part of if I gave myself the opportunity. Which one would be the coolest? 

How cool is this?  Helping the community while riding on horseback.  Maybe even saving a life. That's the responsibility of the Erie County Sheriff's Mounted Posse.  It's been that way since 1952.

"The original posse members were actually former rodeo guys.  They were all real bronc riders and real hard riding guys,” says Capt. Del Freedline, who currently leads the posse.  

The Sheriff's Mounted Posse has 25 members...17 of them active members.  Over the years, they have provided mounted security for presidential visits.  They work security and crowd control at the Waterford Fair.  If the sheriff needs help, he calls on his posse.  It’s just like it was in those old TV westerns.

"You actually become a deputy sheriff.  You get sworn-in after you've got your background checks and they do all the things they need to do.  But you actually become part of the sheriff's office,” says Capt. Freedline.
  

The main responsibility of the Sheriff's Mounted Posse is search and rescue.  Many times the posse has been called upon to find a child lost in the woods or a wandering senior citizen with Alzheimer’s disease. The posse members rely on teamwork to get the job done.  That's why they all come here to Pam Bradshaw's Training Stables on Beckman Road near Girard.

"I like to use my horses and my cattle and my beautiful place to help the posse and others,” says Pam. 

Today, I got a first-hand look at some of the teamwork building.  During one drill, posse members must work together to move numbered head of cattle from one corral to another.  They must move the cows one at a time...and in order.  It's not an easy task.  The cattle are also used in another training drill.  The cattle will play the roles of people lost in the thick woods.

"We're going to find these cattle that will be hiding in those woods over there and we'll send a few riders in,” declares Pam.  

The mounted posse will always be useful during a search.  The members have a higher vantage point than someone searching on foot or on an ATV.  The horses are quiet, and can go through terrain that no one else can.  As far as security and crowd control, Capt. Freedline says people usually feel comfortable dealing with an officer on a horse.

It's satisfying work.  Unselfish work.  The posse members are all volunteers and must use their own horses.  Although the group is a part of the sheriff's department, it is also a non-profit organization that does its own fund-raising. The sheriff's posse is always looking for new members.  It's pretty cool.  It's time to saddle up.