The Coral Gables Police Department is putting names to its four-legged patrol members.

The city released a 77-second video on Tuesday, July 21, introducing Merrick and Scarlet, the two horses that make up the CGPD Mounted Patrol Unit. Posted on the city's official X, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, the clip shows the pair working alongside officers and details their role in neighborhood patrols, community events, and ceremonial duties.

Merrick and Scarlet joined the department in spring 2025. The Coral Gables Police Department welcomed them on its Instagram page on Friday, May 9, 2025, telling residents to "look for them patrolling your neighborhood and say hi."

The unit's growth has not come easily. Police Chief Ed Hudak acknowledged the challenge during a Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, City Commission meeting, where he was updating commissioners on a record-setting hiring year for the roughly 300-officer department. "It's easier hiring people than horses," Hudak told commissioners.

Coral Gables is one of several South Florida law enforcement agencies that maintain mounted patrols, according to a 2021 South Florida Sun-Sentinel report. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Davie, Doral, North Miami, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office also field mounted officers.

Officers on horseback offer specific tactical advantages at events and in tight spaces. They sit high enough above a crowd to spot disturbances early, can navigate alleyways and narrow residential streets inaccessible to cruisers, and draw residents into conversation more readily than officers inside a patrol car, according to law enforcement officials cited in that Sun-Sentinel report.

No specific upcoming appearances for Merrick and Scarlet have been announced. The city's video encourages residents to look for the horses in their neighborhoods.

Residents who want to learn more about the Mounted Patrol Unit or other CGPD programs can contact the department at 305-442-1600, available 24 hours a day, or visit the station at 234 Minorca Ave.