Waste of the Day: Sheriff’s Horseplay

Taxpayers spent $110,123 to buy and care for the horses.

Key facts: The patrol was established in July 2021 with two horses, Clementine and Stetson. 

Both were purchased from a low-grade livestock pen and had critical illnesses, according to the audit. Clementine was put down just a few months later, and Stetson was euthanized in 2023.

Another horse, Deets, was purchased in August 2021. He was later sold at a loss due to bucking his riders like a rodeo horse. 

Bandit is 24 years old and likely nearing the end of his life. Tater and Duck are young but were purchased without any police training. 

Associated expenses included boarding, feeding, custom saddles and an $11,000 horse trailer decorated with $4,000 Bates County mounted patrol signage, the audit found.

During the audit period of 2021 to 2025, the mounted patrol unit was used for only one search and rescue operation. The unit attended eight parades, six tractor shows, four rodeos, four horse shows and a family fun day.

Anderson told auditors the horses were also used in 2026 for an out-of-state rescue operation and crowd control at the World Cup. 

Separately, the sheriff’s office spent almost $24,000 funding local rodeos. The audit also found that the office matched employee contributions to retirement accounts using taxpayer funds, though it had no legal authority to do so. 

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Supporting quote: “Respectfully, the [audit’s] subjective opinions over best professional law enforcement practices are conclusory and without any basis in fact or law,” Anderson wrote in his response to the audit. “They also disregard that relatively low expenditures have bolstered community trust in law enforcement and made positive, potentially lifesaving differences.”

Auditors responded, “There is no amount that is acceptable for the improper use of taxpayer dollars and, certainly, the over $178,000 improperly spent should not be considered ‘relatively low.’”

Summary: There’s nothing wrong with Bates County showing a little love for animals, but using public safety funds on horses nearing the end of their lives is ill-advised. 

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.