Mounted Patrol Names Volunteer of the Year
by Jim Evans

DeAnne Erickson on Cinnamon is part of Ramona’s Volunteer Mounted Horse Patrol.

DeAnne Erickson has been riding horses most of her life, so it was only natural for her to volunteer to serve on the Ramona Volunteer Mounted Horse Patrol when she moved to Ramona from Poway three years ago.

During the past year, Erickson donated 199 hours to the community as part of the Mounted Patrol and, fittingly, has recently been honored as the unit’s "Volunteer of the Year" for 2003-04.

The patrol is a select unit of the Sheriff’s Department — the only such unit in San Diego County — made up of volunteers from the community who act as the department’s "eyes and ears" patrolling environmentally protected areas, equestrian and hiking trails, parks and recreational areas. In addition, the volunteers provide permit control and surveillance at community events and might be called upon to assist with lost or missing people. They also participate in school presentations and ride in parades and other special events, enhancing the public image of law enforcement in Ramona.

Applicants are required to attend the Volunteer Academy — usually at the Deputy Sheriff’s Association building in Poway — for two weeks as part of their initial training. Training includes an orientation on the basic essentials of the Sheriff’s Department, and riders must pass a Horsemanship Qualification test administered by the Mounted Patrol Field Manager. Upon satisfactory completion of the academy, citizen volunteers are subject to a security check including voice analysis (similar to a polygraph) and fingerprinting.

Volunteers who have successfully met the requirements for the Mounted Patrol, and are approved, are issued a Sheriff’s identification card, uniform and radio, and must have reasonable access to their own horse and trailer. The department provides matching saddles and bridles for the horses.

All Mounted Patrol volunteers work in pairs — each with a separate radio — and ride-alongs are permitted, similar to the long-established practice of ride-alongs in police cars.

Even the horses must be qualified for Mounted Patrol service. Erickson has two horses, Sedona and Cinnamon, that are qualified for use in the patrol, and she herself is qualified to certify horses for use in departmental operations.

"All of our horses must have a stable disposition," Erickson said, "and they must be comfortable riding double and walking in water, among other things."

Erickson also has completed several clinics for obstacle trail training to "spook-proof" horses used in the Mounted Patrol.

"I probably enjoy working with children the most," Erickson said. "We have participated in fingerprinting children at SeaWorld for identification in a national database, worked with the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in the schools, patrolled in and around Ramona High School during football games, and more. And, of course, I just love the parades — and I think the horses do too!"

During the Sycamore Canyon Fire of 2003 in Poway, Erickson notified the media about the the threat of the fire to the Goodan Ranch and Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve. As a board member for the preserve, she served as a spokeswoman and was interviewed several times by the television networks.

Erickson was personally involved in the rescue and evacuation of at least 24 horses during the recent Cedar Fire, working almost 19 hours straight during one stretch, transporting horses to safety from the smoke and flames in the Country Estates in Ramona and Sycamore Canyon in Poway. In the aftermath, she reported lingering "hot spots" to the CDF during her patrols on horseback.

Following the Ramona Rodeo Parade, Erickson and the Mounted Patrol will participate in the up-coming National Trails Day on June 5 at Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, sponsored by the American Hiking Society.

"It’s a terrific event," Erickson said enthusiastically, "and we hope residents will join us in celebrating the trails and open space at the preserve."

Bring the kids and say hello to Sedona or Cinnamon, too.

For information about the Ramona Volunteer Mounted Horse Patrol, call (760) 789-9157.