VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — If you’ve seen Virginia Beach police officers on horseback, at the Oceanfront for example, they’re part of the Virginia Beach Mounted Patrol.
I stopped by the Virginia Beach Mounted Patrol barn in the Pungo section of Virginia Beach to meet a very special volunteer: Sergeant John Allen. He explained what the unit does.
“We’re a full-time unit within the Virginia Beach Police Department assigned to the Special Operations Bureau," said Sgt. Allen. "Our jobs are multifaceted as we provide community engagement along with enforcing the same laws any other police officer does.”
The Mounted Patrol was created in 1985, and officers patrol areas like the Oceanfront and shopping centers, host community events and assist with search and rescue while on horseback. They also regularly train, maintain the facility and care for the horses.
A lot of what the unit does wouldn’t be possible without a volunteer group called Friends of the Mounted Patrol.
“Friends [of the Mounted Patrol] is a nonprofit that helps the unit achieve the goals that the department has and needs extra help with. They get us the horses, extra equipment, really anything additional we may need," MPO Ryan Ashby told me.
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The nonprofit has been the backbone of the unit since 1986, and their mission is to have the best mounted patrol on the East Coast.
It takes a lot of planning, fundraising and hard work to do just that, and the dedication of one particular volunteer impresses and inspires everyone around her.
“Ann Miller is the driving force of the friends," longtime Friends volunteer Ann Stark shared. "She works a full-time job, she has her own family and grandchildren and she always makes time for the unit no matter what she’s doing.”
Peggy Nelson, President of Friends of the Virginia Beach Mounted Patrol went on to say, “She’s bigger than life. One phone call, and it's done. She is my right hand. A great, great person in general.”
“Ann is fantastic," said MPO Lara Kreitzman. "She is Vice President of the Friends right now. She has come out to pretty much all of our events, [she's] very supportive. She’s constantly showing her face around here and giving us a presence and it's really nice to know she’s here and supports us."
After spending some time at the barn, I finally got to meet Ann Miller, who walked in with armloads of gifts.
She asked Miller why she dedicates so much time to the mounted patrol and to Friends.
“I love horses," Miller said. "I have since I was a little girl and since my husband and I came to Virginia, we haven’t had the ability to have horses, but I can come here and love on all of these guys, and it makes my heart happy.”
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It makes the officers, her fellow volunteers, and the equines she dotes on happy too. I was able to share with Miller some of the things the mounted patrol officers said about her:
“Ann is above all dedicated to the horses and officers of this unit.”
“She works tirelessly to promote and support the mission of the mounted patrol.”
“She makes huge personal sacrifice.”
“Ann is a true leader, exemplary ambassador and advocate and she makes everyone feel like they matter.”
The officers with the Virginia Beach Mounted Patrol and Friends of the Virginia Beach Mounted Patrol chose Ann Miller as the recipient of a News 3 Everyday Hero Award for all she does day in and day out. News 3 partner Southern Bank also provided her with a $300 gift card, to which Ann responded, “Lunch is on me!”
Congratulations Ann!
