Spring Hill College Communication Arts Department
College website: https://www.shc.edu/
Department website: http://departments2.shc.edu/commarts/
Internship: http://www.historymuseumofmobile.com/
Department website: http://departments2.shc.edu/commarts/
Internship: http://www.historymuseumofmobile.com/
Capstone Project 2020
Abstract
As of recent years, the law enforcement tradition of utilizing horses has been called into question and increasingly scrutinized by the media. In conjunction with this the media’s recent trend of covering a variety of negative police stories has created additional challenges in the maintenance of mounted police units. While the concerns raised are certainly valid, this narrative portrayed by the media against police has created a population that associates anything police-related with these negative stories.
After having spent a great deal of time with the Mobile Mounted Unit, I came to understand that mounted police units serve drastically and fundamentally different purposes when compared to their other law enforcement counterparts. Most people’s perception is that mounted patrol units are no different from any other type of law enforcement. As a result, I came to the conclusion that an objective documentary presenting all sides of the issues associated with mounted law enforcement could prove to be especially beneficial to the population that they serve. The notion behind this project was that it would enable citizens to weigh all of the issues associated with mounted units and arrive at their own conclusions regarding mounted police.
The result was an expository documentary revolving around the history, uses, and current state of mounted police in North America. The goal of this project was to increase public awareness and education regarding mounted police. The achievement of this goal was evaluated via a survey that gathered information on the audience’s understanding and perception of three key points. Respondents were evaluated both before and after viewing the film. Overall, according to the data gathered via survey, the film seemed to achieve this goal of informing the audience and creating a greater public awareness on all three key points.
As of recent years, the law enforcement tradition of utilizing horses has been called into question and increasingly scrutinized by the media. In conjunction with this the media’s recent trend of covering a variety of negative police stories has created additional challenges in the maintenance of mounted police units. While the concerns raised are certainly valid, this narrative portrayed by the media against police has created a population that associates anything police-related with these negative stories.
After having spent a great deal of time with the Mobile Mounted Unit, I came to understand that mounted police units serve drastically and fundamentally different purposes when compared to their other law enforcement counterparts. Most people’s perception is that mounted patrol units are no different from any other type of law enforcement. As a result, I came to the conclusion that an objective documentary presenting all sides of the issues associated with mounted law enforcement could prove to be especially beneficial to the population that they serve. The notion behind this project was that it would enable citizens to weigh all of the issues associated with mounted units and arrive at their own conclusions regarding mounted police.
The result was an expository documentary revolving around the history, uses, and current state of mounted police in North America. The goal of this project was to increase public awareness and education regarding mounted police. The achievement of this goal was evaluated via a survey that gathered information on the audience’s understanding and perception of three key points. Respondents were evaluated both before and after viewing the film. Overall, according to the data gathered via survey, the film seemed to achieve this goal of informing the audience and creating a greater public awareness on all three key points.