EDINBURG — The Pharr Police Department hosted a graduation ceremony Thursday morning at the U.S. Border Patrol Sector Headquarters following the completion of a four-week mounted training session with the federal agency’s horse patrol.
The ceremony honored four of Pharr’s finest, Sgt. Max Longoria, officer Luis Carsoza, investigator Gabriel Lopez and investigator Irving Segura, as well as two Border Patrol agents Manuel Garza from the Harlingen Border Patrol Station and Danny De La Rosa from the Brownsville Border Patrol Station.
Thursday’s ceremony began with a demonstration in the auditorium of the Rio Grande Valley Sector Horse Patrol Stables. The four officers and two agents mounted their horses and performed a ceremonial riding pattern as Aaron Watson’s “Freight Train” played over a loudspeaker.
The demonstration ended with the agents in formation.
“We are blue! We are Green! We are Class 020!” they exclaimed to a round of applause from colleagues in their respective departments, media, and family and friends.
“If you would’ve seen them Day 1 — they didn’t look like that,” Border Patrol Horse Patrol Coordinator Ruben Garcia Jr. said. “They earned that applause.”
The ceremony concluded four weeks of rigorous training for the six honorees, known as Class 020. For the city of Pharr, it marks the beginning of a new chapter of the city’s police.
Pharr Police Chief Andy Harvey said the idea for Pharr PD’s new mounted unit came from conversations with Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, who had been asking the chief for horses for the police department.
“It took a lot of work, but I’ve got to tell you, it wouldn’t happen without the relationships that we have with Border Patrol and other agencies,” Harvey said. “For the Border Patrol to do this for us — to invest almost a month training our officers, training them how to ride, how to care for the horses, how to feed them and all those things that are important. It’s an amazing partnership, and I’m so thankful. I can’t say it enough.”
Harvey said the officer’s graduation was the first step for the new unit and officers will continue to train and get comfortable with their horses. He anticipates having the unit ready to hit the city streets in 30 to 60 days.
“I can’t wait for our residents to see our officers on horseback riding down their city streets,” Harvey said. “I think that’s going to be amazing.”
The chief described his four officers as tough for having completed the training. Though he said he did not give them an option for failure.
Segura, one of those officers selected to participate, described the training as thrilling and challenging.
“Not only were we learning the basics of riding a horse, we were learning the responsibilities that come with the horse,” Segura said. “It was a rough month, to say the least, but an experience that I won’t forget. I look forward to what the future brings to the city of Pharr and its residents, and those who visit obviously, because now you’ll be able to see a different style of patrol.”
Segura said his love for horses inspired him to undertake the challenge of joining the department’s new unit.
“I’m a city guy, so this is a whole different ball game for me,” the McAllen native said. “It’s nothing but city life. With that being said, this is a different route — a new beginning, to say the least. It was challenging, and I’m always looking for challenges.”
Mayor Hernandez anticipates utilizing the PD’s mounted unit to address issues unique to towns on the southern border, while also capitalizing on the attention drawn to the horses and creating closer bonds with the community.
“We are a border town, and we know that we have our own unique issues in the southern part of the United States, but there’s also a fear factor that’s associated with law enforcement,” Hernandez said. “We at the city of Pharr thought that we’re not going to ignore the fact that we have issues, but we also are going to take it and use it as an opportunity.”
The mayor hopes the unit will help quell the fear associated with law enforcement by creating opportunities for engagement at festivals and other events around the city.
“We want our children to come out during festivals. We want them to come out to the equestrian site, where they’re going to be located, to come pet the horses, see how horses are taken care of, how to deal with the manure as well, and how to interact with law enforcement,” Hernandez said. “It has many facets.”
Thursday’s ceremony was the tip of the spear when it comes to his ideas for the mounted unit. The mayor hopes to have four or five times as many officers in the unit.
Border Patrol’s Ruben Garcia Jr., who oversaw the effort, said training officers outside of his agency was a challenge, but also an opportunity to showcase his program and teaching methods.
“It was a learning experience on both sides,” Garcia said. “I was — am actually very excited. In fact, we look forward to continue ongoing training and collaboration. It’s a force multiplier. We need more friendly forces out there. For me, I’m excited to see that Pharr PD is the first police department with a mounted unit. To help them establish that — we’re very proud of that.”
