Bianca Moorman / The Meridian StarMeridian police officers Bradley McNeece and Ty McKenzie introduce Blayze and Maverick, new members of the  department's mounted patrol unit, on Wednesday. 

Standing tall and surveying the city, Blayze and Maverick made their official debut as members of the Meridian Police Department on Wednesday. 

The Clydesdale horses are the newest addition to the department, said MPD Chief Chris Read.

“We had a mounted patrol years ago and we just reformed it,” Read said.  

Read said the unit, led by two specially-trained officers, will patrol downtown several days a week. The other days, they will patrol Bonita Lakes park, he said.  

Read hopes the unit will improve the department’s community presence, and is looking forward to seeing local children interact with the horses.

“I have horses,” said Bradley McNeece, one of the mounted officers. “Getting to combine my career with something I enjoy doing is pretty neat.”

He said riding a horse differs from driving a car for many reasons – working with an animal requires an abundance of physical exertion. 

“You’ve got to control them,” he said. “Driving a car is simpler.”