February 28, 2018
St. Charles officers mount up
Around Town SCC marks Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Week. P.2 St. Peters parks pavilions and field reservations begin in March. P.3
Healthy Living The importance of colon cancer screening. P.5 When is the best time to treat varicose veins? P.5
School FZSD kindergarten registration takes place March 8. P.5 SCSD hires new administrators. P.5
Members of the St. Charles City Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit (From left) Officer C.F. Hayden stands with Judge and Officer Shelley Shirk stands with Lilly.
Photo by Ray Rockwell
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The St. Charles City Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit is a small, but effective force when interacting with the community By Brett Auten Consider them St. Charles City’s fourlegged comrades. The Mounted Patrol Unit is a small but versatile component to the St. Charles City Police Department. There are just three officers in the unit with its patrol focused mainly on areas in and around Main Street, New Towne, and all of the region’s multiple festivals and parades. The Mounted Patrol Unit started part-time in 1984 and became a full-time unit in 1988, and Ted Holland was the driving force. The unit is currently headed by Tim Wandling. Wandling, 51, grew up in St. Louis County and now lives in Troy. He has been a member of the St. Charles City Police Department since 1994 and came to St. Charles after working for the St. Louis County Parks Department, where he saw the benefits of a
mounted patrol unit. Wandling was a dog trainer, including police dogs, before he became an officer. “I’m an animal guy, and I never thought about being a police officer,” he said. “The chief at the time talked me into it, and it sounded interesting.” Wandling had been around horses all his life, and when an opening in the mounted patrol unit came up, it seemed like a natural fit and that the mounted patrol unit would be his next adventure. There are positives aplenty when it comes to the mounted patrol but first and foremost is the approachability. “It’s the best PR tool (the department) has,” Wandling said. “People come up and talk to us who would never ever approach a police officer in a car. They are drawn to us and the animal out of either love or curiosity.” And there are things that mounted officers
can accomplish that one in a car cannot, one of which is having the visibility to see up and over a crowd during a busy festival or parade. “It is difficult for officers on foot or in a golf cart or car to see past the first wave of people,” Wandling said. “We can see a long, long way, whether it’s looking for a lost child or someone causing problems. And getting through the crowd can be difficult. It’s amazing how getting through a big crowd is next to impossible. But the horses get (the crowd’s) attention, and they part the waters and make a quick path.” While Wandling had plenty of horseback experience, George Hayden and Shelley Shirk, the other two officers in the unit, are relative newbies. Shirk has 22 years in with the department but, like Hayden, has been part of the mounted patrol unit for less than a year. Among her See ‘OFFICER’ page 2
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