Mounted Police to Patrol Houston Airport

Mounted Police to Patrol Houston Airport
By Associated Press

December 20, 2003, 8:36 PM EST


HOUSTON -- George Bush Intercontinental Airport officials, looking to bolster 
patrols of their 11,000-acre facility, have decided to hoof it. 

A volunteer mounted police force called the Airport Rangers will patrol the 
perimeter of the city's largest airport, the Houston Airport System announced 
Friday. 

"Horses can go where vehicles can't go and we can also have the ability of 
people riding through the woods," said airport director Rick Vacar, who came up 
with the idea. 

The mounted patrol, which will include off-duty law enforcement officers, will 
use trails being built around the airport. Watering troughs, portable toilets, 
trash containers and granite stones for sitting are being installed. 

"We kept the trails very rustic," airport system Deputy Director Tom Bartlett 
said. 

The initial trail is 5.1 miles long, and officials plan to open another soon. 
The goal is a path spanning almost 25 miles. 

Vacar said the presence of the mounted patrol likely will act as a deterrent. 
Background checks will be conducted on all participants. 

Cost to install the trails was not immediately available. 
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