After driving through a pile of horse poo on my way to the library, I found myself wondering – while considering my options for cleaning waste from the grooves of my wheel – who from the City was technically on dung duty.

And so I called the Milwaukee Police Department's public relations department and asked. A helpful man named Jesus asked me to submit my questions in writing and so I did. I received the following answers within a few hours.

OnMilwaukee: What's the protocol for picking up police horse excrement?

Milwaukee Police Department: When a Mounted Patrol Officer sees an MPD horse’s excrement, they are to pick it up.

So the officers have the necessary items to remove the excrement?

Yes.

Can a citizen report piles if they see them? If so, where/how?

Yes. Citizens can report piles by calling District 1, who oversees the Mounted Patrol.

Do all of the horses live in Walker's Point?

Yes.

How many MPD horses are there?

MPD has 10 horses.

Prior to getting the facts, I presumed the people who removed animals killed on the road were also responsible for horse piles. Personally, I've never seen an officer cleaning up poop, but I've also seen very few piles in the streets. I have noticed more this summer and thought maybe an excretion elimination position was eliminated or something. Glad to know that wasn't the case. 

The takeaway nugget from all this is we now know the protocol of police horse poop pickup – and how we can assist as good citizens if needed.

Giddy up, Milwaukee.