WORCESTER – Officer Patrick Bennett of the Worcester Police Department spent most of Saturday wet. And I couldn’t be happier.
“This is my favorite part of the job, by far,” said Bennett, who along with two other volunteers, was running the squealing tank at WPD’s first neighborhood back-to-school party in Park Institute.
For many students in Worcester, the new school year begins on Monday. The WPD decided that the last weekend of summer vacation would be a good one. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the park was filled with bouncy houses, food trucks and excited children, with the occasional splash and accompanying cheer when an officer took the plunge.
“After COVID, the kids haven’t had a chance to get together very often,” Lt. Sean Murtha said. “We thought it would be nice to have an event where everyone can have fun outside and have a good time before school starts.”
The idea came from Police Chief Steven M. Sargent last fall, who had long wanted to hold a summer party in the neighborhood but was stymied by circumstances. “We weren’t sure how to do it with COVID,” Sargent said. “We wanted to make sure we had a safe environment, but also where they could run around freely and have fun,” he said, gesturing to the pack of kids running between the bounce houses and the ice cream truck.
Another type of truck, bright green adorned with various video game characters, sat next to the ice cream and food vendors. The Unlimited Mobile Gaming truck carried a TV and consoles where kids could play popular games with their friends and temporarily escape the sun. “Yeah, I had mixed feelings about getting it,” Murtha said, “but the kids love it.”
From video games to horses
Around 11:30 a.m., however, two guests of honor arrived who possibly even outshone the video game truck: police horses Buster and Major, members of the WPD’s mounted unit. “Honestly, this is what I’ve been waiting for,” Worcester resident Jana Bromell said, laughing as her 7-year-old son Dylan jumped up to meet the horses.
“You have to bring the horses,” Sargent said with a smile.
The division mounted by WPD is relatively new, said Officer Jose Rodriguez from Major, having started six years ago “from scratch.” Major has been with the WPD since the beginning, which makes him technically superior to Rodriguez, who joined three years ago. Because the division is understaffed for riders, Rodriguez rotates between the five horses.
“It’s hard to find people who want to ride horses,” he said with a sad smile. Still, Major stands out among the equine members of the WPD with his no-nonsense attitude. “It’s stone-faced, it just works,” he said, being one of the oldest horses there at 16, “but [Major] still loves the attention. They all do.”
Both horses and riders must undergo intensive training to build the necessary level of confidence. “Believe it or not, these guys are afraid of everything,” Rodriguez said, and a horse needs a high level of desensitization training before it can start working. “Even things behind us, like a mile down,” he said, “could catch their attention.” As if for emphasis, the Major’s ear turned nearly 180 degrees, tracking noises throughout the park as he shook his head.
Despite their immense size as draft horse crosses, Major and Buster were friendly with their young fans, like 3-year-old Lincoln Reed, who was there with his parents and sister. “It’s great for the WPD to put on an event like this,” said Justin Reed, Lincoln’s father, “it’s great for the community.”
