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Stable attendants tell commission shift change to midnight hours could endanger police horses
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Summary
Stable attendants at the Golden Gate Park police stables asked the commission to retain 10‑hour day shifts rather than a move to midnight–10 a.m. shifts, citing horse safety when being led into dark conditions and slick concrete surfaces.
Stable attendants for the San Francisco Police Department's mounted unit told the Police Commission that a proposed change from 10‑hour day shifts to an overnight schedule would increase safety risks for horses and handlers.
Speakers who identified themselves as stable attendants explained that the work — turning horses out and leading them from a lit barn into darker park areas — is hazardous when done at night because horses can spook and concrete surfaces in the barn area are slick in San Francisco mornings. "When you take a horse out from a lit barn into a completely dark area there's always the chance that they're going to spook," one attendant said, adding that they can "either come over onto you or they'll go out from underneath themselves."
Attendants requested the commission allow them to keep 10‑hour shifts so horses could be turned out during daylight hours and staff could safely complete barn work while maximizing officer patrol hours. Command staff present said they would take the matter under consideration and that supervisors were already aware of the concern.
What’s next: Command said the issue would be reviewed at the supervisory level and the commission members acknowledged the safety concern.
