Since 1986, officers in the San Jose Horse Mounted and Parks Enforcement Unit have been serving side by side with their street-level counterparts, patrolling the city every day to protect citizens.

And, the officers in the mounted unit say that during their years with the department, they have never before felt more welcomed in the San Jose community. Perched high atop their partners—a term every officer uses to refer to their horse—these officers claim that people of all ages find them more much approachable than the car patrolling units.

One of these mounted-unit members, Willow Glen resident and San Jose police officer Moses Barreras, says he wakes up with a smile on his face every morning knowing that his job within the department is rather unique. Instead of heading down to the San Jose Police Department, he heads off to the police stables off Tully Road in San Jose. As part of Barreras' daily routine, he grooms his horse J.J., dons his mounted-unit gear and loads his horse into a trailer to transport him to downtown San Jose. Occasionally, the officers will forego driving their horses down the road and ride them on the Coyote Creek Trail, a 20- to 40-minute ride into downtown. The ride helps the horses stay sharp with their search and rescue skills, Barreras says.

But three years ago this was anything but routine.

Even though today Barreras appears at ease with his partner, his calm demeanor with J.J. could be deceiving.

Ironically, when he was accepted into the mounted unit, he had one major obstacle to overcome— his fear of horses. But, he decided to push his uneasiness aside and challenge himself to learn something new.

"I'd had horrible past experiences with horses," Barreras says. "And I was partnered with Hamlet, who was known as the toughest horse to ride. But horses can sense fear and I needed to overcome that."

So he completed and passed the department's initial testing to qualify for the mounted unit. Then he enrolled in the 12-week riding academy course. But the fear came back as he sat atop the horse during the first day of riding. After witnessing his anxiety, people in the academy told him to start breathing or he would faint. He managed to compose himself, but acknowledges that it wasn't until 10 weeks into the academy that he felt reasonably comfortable sitting on the animal.

Although becoming a mounted officer is fairly competitive, only about 80 percent of the officers who pass all the tests and take the 12-week course make it until the end.

Trainer Ginny Gerbino, who has been training officers at the police stables since 1985, has come into contact with many officers over the years, and maintains a high level of respect for Barreras. She appreciates his determination in working to overcome his fear.

And when talking to the officers, she isn't shy about telling them that these animals can be dangerous, emphasizing that the officers can get killed riding atop these four-legged creatures. Officers can be bucked or spun off the horse at any time, she says.

"I tell them they need to have all their ducks in a row if you really want to pursue this," she says.

And she adds, "They need to have an element of fear of the horse or I tell them they have no business being here."

Barreras is well aware of the animal's power and his mental prowess.

A couple of weeks ago while he was working with his horse, J.J., the animal demonstrated his keen searching skills when a car was driving out of control in downtown San Jose. The pair swiftly followed the erratic car and finally caught up with the vehicle. Barreras discovered that the diabetic driver had gone into insulin shock

In another incident a couple years ago, a downtown Mardi Gras celebration got out of hand and two M-80 firecrackers were thrown at J.J. This may sound like a recipe for disaster, but Barreras says the horse stayed still and did not move.

Achieving this level of discipline requires hours of training between the officers and horses before they are put into the field. Part of that training includes a variety of exercises that test their automatic reactions. At one session, long sets of ear-popping firecrackers were set off not more than 30 feet away from the horses' practice area. This was a test to determine how the horses react to loud noises. Only one of the horses had a noticeable reaction, but it was slight and his partner quickly calmed the animal.

The horses are also exposed to smoke bombs, which some of the officers claim can cause an even stronger reaction, especially with the newer horses, according to one of the members of the mounted unit.

Despite the potential dangers, Barreras says he plans to stay through his five-year term. He lists interacting with the public as one of his favorite aspects of the job. But it was his competitive spirit that steered him toward joining the mounted unit. He also credits his wife, a skilled horseback rider, for spurring him into action. During one outing together, she outrode him, triggering his desire to polish his riding skills so he could outride her.

Barreras has been with the unit for three years and is now riding J.J., his second horse, whom he calls the best-looking horse of the bunch. His "alpha" horse is a no-nonsense animal with a "leadership attitude" that is often called upon to lead the rest of the unit.

And J.J.'s leadership was apparent during the recent Grand National rodeo, horse and stock show at the San Francisco Cow Palace on Oct. 25. The four San Jose officers—Michael Carroll, Greg Trapp, Randy Pauley and Barreras—and their partners—Rocky, J.J., Hamlet and Al—who represented the mounted unit were voted best color guard of any category and also, for the first time, the entire unit won best overall award for best law enforcement mounted color guard at the show. At the event, horses and their riders are showcased in equestrian events and take part in what could be described as an equestrian beauty contest.

San Jose's mounted unit competed in the professional category, which included mounted units from San Francisco and Yosemite. San Jose has won best color guard in its category seven years running, but the South Bay unit was collectively impressed after being awarded top honors as best overall law enforcement mounted color guard.

"I don't think the other units have the resources that we have," San Jose Sgt. Gregg Trapp says. "We get people helping us prior to the event who aren't even part of the unit anymore. We had about 25 people who helped us prepare for the competition."

Trapp thinks San Jose's mounted unit, which includes 13 riders and 18 horses, is the largest in Northern California.

Barreras describes winning the event as "unreal." He was one of four riders representing the mounted unit. And he was especially inspired to win after he received a good-luck charm from his 7-year-old son, Justin, who told Barreras to carry it on him the entire day. He was also touched by his daughter's reaction. Although only 3 years old, she was crying tears of joy for her father's award.

"After the event, one of the guys from another unit came up to me and said, 'I just don't know how anyone can compete with you guys,'" Barreras says. "That was really neat to hear."

All the officers said the city and the police department take a great deal of pride in the award-winning unit. According to Trapp, the unit serves many purposes, but its main focus is as ambassadors of goodwill and to serve as a public relations vehicle for the police department. Besides these aspects of service, the 13 mounted-unit police officers also patrol the downtown streets on a daily basis, perform presentations at local schools, provide protection for visiting dignitaries, compete in color-guard competitions, take part in parades and even perform search and rescue operations when necessary.

They strode down Lincoln Avenue during the street's recent Halloween festivities and also appeared at the Dancin' on the Avenue celebration.

The officers take pride in their law enforcement role, but they sometimes receive jabs from other officers in the department who are not familiar with the intricacies of their unit, Barreras says.

"Once they see us in a crowd-control situation and see the officers in action, they appreciate us for what the horses do," Trapp says. "But, a lot of them still don't really understand what we do."

Members like officer Michael Carroll say he would have joined the unit earlier if he'd known about it and realized how much fun it could be. Like Trapp and Barreras, he has heard criticism directed towards the unit. But Trapp says that over time, the mounted unit has gained respect within the department, as it works with other units helping with crowd control.

Carroll says some people who would never have come up to him as an officer before, now readily approach him and like to pet his horse or engage in short conversations. He has even noticed parolees, who usually steer clear of police officers, come up to him and his horse without any visible trepidation.

Although the 29-year police veteran says his stint with the mounted unit has only encompassed a small portion of his time on the force, he says it is especially fulfilling to be included in the mounted unit.

"It is like Christmas year-round when people see us," Carroll says. "When they come up to me and smile, it doesn't get better than that."