The organization was originally formed in 1964 as the "Norco Mounted Police". The group provided law enforcement services to the community until 1979 when the city incorporated and contracted full time deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Since then, the Mounted Posse continues to work closely with the Norco Sheriff's Department, providing services within the city and surrounding communities.
As the Mounted Posse evolved, it has become an all-volunteer organization taking direction from the City of Norco, Norco Sheriff, Norco Fire Department, and the Norco Animal Control Department. It has expanded its scope to promote charitable and public services, and promote education and safety among equine enthusiasts as well as non-riding citizens of the community. The Posse organizes, sponsors, hosts and participates in many activities throughout each year including a professional rodeo and the famous Mohave Trail Ride.
Thank you for your interest in the Norco Mounted Posse. If there are questions, comments, or we can be of service to you or your organization, please don't hesitate to contact us. This website will provide a snapshot of who we are and what we do. Additional information is available by contacting our office via phone or email.
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Trail Patrol
Posse members are trained, certified, and authorized by the City of Norco and the Riverside County Sheriff to patrol our cities 90+ miles of horse trails that parallel our streets. Our objectives are to help ensure a safe environment for everyone to enjoy our rural atmosphere by educating and assisting the public, reporting unsafe conditions, and writing vehicle parking violations within city limits.
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Security
The Posse is the primary contracted security agency for many of the city’s facilities and events. Activities include a uniformed presence where the public may utilize the city facilities for dances, parties, weddings, rodeos, holiday and equestrian events. We also provide security services to private companies and organizations.
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Search and Rescue
Beginning in 2004, the City started the first certification program for our officers to become part of the Norco Animal Rescue Team. This team is on call with various municipal agencies and will assist in rescues during various emergencies such as fires, flooding and earthquakes. The training is ongoing and will, as time goes on, include all Posse members willing to take on such responsibilities and training.
During the wildfires of 2003, the Mounted Posse was tasked to provide evacuation services to many mountain communities, transporting horses (and namy other large animals) to temporary evacuation centers. Additionally, we provided emergency evacuation services during the 2004 floods.
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Parades and Color Guard
Organizations and groups will occasionally ask us to participate in their parades and other various events. These may include charitable events, funerals, sporting events, and holiday extravaganzas.
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Charity
Whenever possible, we provide labor and/or financial support to charitable organizations. We ourselves are a non-profit organization and appreciate that there are many deserving and quality organizations that could use the expertise we posses, or sometimes, a simple donation to a program or event these groups may be sponsoring.
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Rodeos and Other Major Events
The Posse hosts a PRCA rodeo each year in August. This event take hundreds of hours of planning and preparation. Our officers and volunteers are responsible for nearly every aspect of planning, setup, patrol, gates, and cleanup of these events. We work closely with the city, the vendors, sponsors, the rodeo agencies, and stock contractors to ensure that each performance is bigger and better than the previous. For many years, the August PRCA Norco Rodeo has attracted thousands of spectators and national sponsors, making this event one of the largest in California.
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Membership
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Training and Certifications
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We encourage anyone who is interested in joining to speak with any of our members about the organization and apply. The basic requirements of membership are as follows:
- Be twenty one years of age or older
- Submit an application including a $15 fee
- Pass an investigation pertaining to prior criminal history
- Meet the requirements for a Consumer Affairs Guard Card
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- First Aid
- CPR
- Guard Card
- Firearms Card (optional)
- Baton (straight, expandable, side handle, or expandable side handle. Mounted baton is optional)
- Chemical Agents (i.e. Mace, CN, Pepper Spray)
- PC832 Course (optional)
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Horse ownership is highly encouraged, but not an absolute requirement. If the applicant plans to use his/her horse on duty, the animal and tack must be inspected and approved prior to use. Call for animal and tack limitations and restrictions. We provide and attend periodic equestrian training programs designed to improve the horse and riders skills. These are not only beneficial, they are fun!
Once the application is processed and approved, the new member will be asked to attend at least 2 meetings and various events or activities in a non-uniformed capacity, after which he/she will be reviewed by the investigating committee and presented to the general membership for a vote.
An applicant who receives a positive vote will become a tentative member for 6 months. During this time, the applicant will be required to obtain the required state and local certifications, training and uniform prior to full membership. City and local law and code enforcement training are scheduled periodically and will be offered to the applicant after full membership is granted.
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- Uniform (applicant will be provided with uniform standards)
- Badge (issued to the applicant after successful indoctrination)
- Name badge
- Duty Belt (also known as a “holster rig”) appropriate for the equipment being carried
- Firearm (optional – restriction apply)
- Baton (based on applicant certification. Note only “Mounted” style batons may be carried on horseback)
- Chemical agent (based on applicant certification)
- Handcuffs (one or two pair, “Smith” or “Peerless” recommended)
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Regular meetings are held to keep up with organizational business, training, information interchange, upcoming events, and the general membership. We expect that all active members will attend and participate with as many meetings and events as their personal schedule allows. Meetings may be rescheduled during holidays or conflicting activities. Training sessions may be rescheduled during bad weather.
2nd Tuesday of each month 6:30pm - Norco Fire Station, 6th Street
Rodeo Planning (Board of Directors meeting follows)
2nd Tuesday of each month 7:30pm – Norco Fire Station, 6th Street
General Membership
Other - Members only, various locations to be announced
Recurrent training (equestrian, law enforcement, search and rescue, first aid, CPR, baton, etc)
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