7-Eleven Donates Horse Named 'Slurpee' To Baltimore PD's Mounted Unit
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- In the past, budget troubles have threatened the most popular unit in the Baltimore Police Department.
But now, the horses of Baltimore PD's Mounted Unit are enjoying firm finances and a new colleague.
In the hustle and bustle that happens every day in our city, the sight and sound of these massive police horses seems to slow everything down.
"And it goes across all boundaries, rich, poor, black, white, any ethnicity, religions, everybody wants to come and see the horses," Baltimore PD Sgt. Russ Robar said.
Now they'll get to see a new member of the unit, and he's here because 7-Eleven wanted to do something for the department.
"'Hey, how can we help? Do you guys need more things to support things in the stables?' And they said, 'Hey, we're looking to get another horse,' and we said, 'Sign us up,'" Mike Kropkowski, with 7-Eleven.
He's young, a Percheron draft horse, and he's huge, but, he needed a name.
"We took a vote internally among our franchisees across the city," Sgt. Robar said.
7-Eleven ponied up the $6,000 cost, and they didn't have to look far for names.
It came down to Slurpee, and Big Gulp. Both were good choices, but Slurpee won easily.
And that's fitting, as a decade ago, the company purchased a similar horse for the unit, and its name was also Slurpee.
"You know, Slurpee is synonymous with 7-Eleven, so what a great way to have some fun and interact with the community that way," Kropkowski said.
"We had a Slurpee in the barn for about 10 years, and he served us well, he was a black Percheron just like this horse," Sgt. Robar said. "He's made all his training and he's officially accepted into the Baltimore Police Department."
This news comes on the heels of a fundraising effort to build $2.5 million stables on the grounds of the B&O Railroad Museum.
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