“ The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” – Jake Emig

JAKE & SULLY MOUNTED POLICE THEY SHARE A CLOSE FRIENDSHIP MADE EVEN MORE SPECIAL WHEN SULLY RECENTLY RETIRED.

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oget to do exactly what I loved as a kid,” says Jake Emig, a 2006 University of Central Missouri alumnus and member of the Kansas City Mounted Patrol. After earning a degree in crisis and disaster emergency management, he went to work for the City of Kansas City in code enforcement and then was assigned to a task force “dealing primarily with houses involved in narcotics.” He next was hired by the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department and eventually made his way to the mounted patrol section, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016. Emig was partnered with O’Sullivan or Sully for short, a sorrel paint quarter horse that stands at 16.2 hands that formerly competed in extreme cowboy competitions. Sully is named after fallen officer John J.

O’Sullivan, who was killed in the line of duty Dec. 12, 1978. “It means a lot to be part of this unit from the officers assigned there to the horses we ride,” Emig says. “It’s such an outstanding group to work with. Nearly everyone is excited to see a horse coming down the street. Many of them have never seen a horse and now they’re petting one right outside their house or their shopping district. It’s great to be a part of that.” Each officer works with the same horse for continuity and is responsible for its care, including grooming, mucking stalls, feeding and other tasks. A farrier comes every six weeks to replace horseshoes. The horses eat approximately 1,000 bales of hay annually. The department pays for the hay, seed and bedding. Other expenses are defrayed by a (501(c)3) nonprofit organization called Friends of the KC Mounted Patrol. Unless weather is excessively hot or cold, or road conditions are unsafe, the patrol operates full time on a year-round basis to police the community and provide crowd control. Emig notes the intent of the mounted patrol is not intimidation but rather engagement as they serve the community.

Since becoming a member of the Kansas City Mounted Police in 2015, UCM alumnus Jake Emig partnered with Sully, who recently retired after eight years of service. Like Sully, his new horse, McGinnis, is named for a fallen officer. L E FT:

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Vol. 16, No. 3 | ucmo.edu/ucmmagazine