ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta’s mounted police units are preparing for a massive influx of international soccer’s fans in just a matter of months.
Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter shares what that prep work looks like ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Drifter with the Atlanta Police Department is one of several horses that have been undergoing training and prep work.
Rudy, just three old, is the baby on the mounted patrol unit. And officials say they have a horse as old as 21 years old.
All these horses will be hitting the streets ahead of the World Cup.
Officials say training has been extensive.
Bringing order one step at a time, that’s what the mounted patrol units with the Atlanta Police Department and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office are saddled with on a daily basis.
“Really, our main goal is just to be ambassadors of the city,” said APD Lt. Greg Lyon.
And with Atlanta set to host one of the largest sporting events in its history, officials say these units will take the reins on crowd control.
“We’re already developing plans of how we’re going to patrol in and out of the event space for different matches and games,” Lyon said.
Officials say these mounted patrol units spend every Thursday training either in the city of Atlanta or Cobb County.
“We work on crowd-control techniques ... formation riding, in crowd control. We do what we call bomb-proofing … desensitizing. We get these horses accustomed to large noises and large crowds,” Lyon said.
On horseback and high alert, these units will be riding point on patrol.
“So not only are you going to see Atlanta police, up to maybe over two-dozen horses at one time helping to patrol the fan fast, the match, or the game,” Lyon said.
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