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The Wyoming County Sheriff's Mounted Unit is a nationally performance ranked, all volunteer organization serving the citizens of the County of Wyoming and the State of New York.

They are affiliated with the Sheriff's Department of Wyoming County and serve at the discretion of the Wyoming County Sheriff, Farris S. Heimann.

New Members

After an initial interview and a background check, new members are accepted as probationary. Depending on commitment and mounted performance, probation status may last from 6 to 12 months. During the probationary phase, members are encouraged and expected to fully participate, within their ability, in all mounted activities.

Welcome To The Official Web Site Of The WCSMU

Formed in 1973, the Wyoming County Sheriff's Posse

is a volunteer not-for-profit corporation. The Mounted Unit serves the Sheriff's Office of Wyoming County, local fire departments and residents of the county and upon request will travel and assist other organizations in New York State.

Patrolling the Buffalo Hill Concerts

Currently there are 20 active members supporting Law Enforcement and Search and Rescue activities. The Posse is instrumental in traffic and crowd control and spends many hours training at their facility. The volunteer members provide their own horse, trailer equipment and uniform while depending on donations to keep functioning.

Typical Activities

The Mounted Unit annually assists with security at large events including concerts, the County Fair, festivals and other occasions when called upon. The Mounted Unit has been activated for searches for lost children and elderly individuals, lost hunters, missing livestock and inmates from the Attica Correctional Facility.

Some recent activities have included:

Security detail at a Charlie Daniel's Band Concert; estimated crowd of 17,000; followed by a spectacular aerial fireworks display.
Security detail at the Wyoming County Fair for 10 nights. Activities monitored included tractor pulls, team penning, Coggin's and Rabies test verification and parking.
Security detail at a Sawyer Brown & Blake Shelton Concert; estimated crowd of 10,000.
Security detail at Travis Tritt and Trace Adkins at 2006 Jam in the Valley Concert.
Participated in the NYS Police Horse Olympics earning Grand Champion.
Attended the National Police Equestrian Competition in Morristown, New Jersey, receiving the Grand Championship, Brigadier Award and 2nd place Partners.

Training

Meetings and training are held once per month. Training drills are held at the Posse training grounds in Wyoming County during the Spring, Summer and Fall months. In addition, there is a mandatory weekend training camp in early May at the training grounds. To view a short video of some of the training Please Click HERE. A new window will open. After viewing, just close the window and you will return to this page.

Training consists of formation riding, sensory and obstacle control, basic search and rescue techniques, crowd control, police equitation, arrest techniques, situation control, vehicle extrication, firework acclimation and night maneuvers. Members are expected to attend 75% of meetings and training unless excused for work or illness. They must meet a minimal annual horse-rider hour commitment.

Recognition

Sheriff Heimann, Captain Marks and members of the Competition Team recieve

a "Certificate Of Appreciation" from the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors, for representing the County and the Sheriff's Department at the National Police Equestrian Championships in New Jersey.

Click on photos to enlarge

Members of the Wyoming County Mounted Unit Trained and Patrolled with the elite Toronto, Canada Mounted Patrol. CLICK HERE to view the Press Release.

*****A ceremony was held on May 31, 2008 at the Wyoming County Mounted Unit's training grounds to commemorate the Mounted Division’s thirty five years of service. CLICK HERE to view that Press Release.