Waukegan Police looking for homes for four patrol horses

The Waukegan Police Department says it is looking for a good home for four "police officers" who have been with the force since 2004.

Freedom, Justice, Billy and Bob, the four horses with the city's mounted patrol, are being let go due to a city budget shortfall, officials said.

The department's equestrian unit is the latest cut to help trim the budget by $3 million to $6 million, officials said. The annual cost of the mounted patrol is $35,000, officials said.

The patrol was introduced Dec. 3, 2004, on the night the city opened a newly remodeled Genesee Theatre.

Freedom and Liberty were the first horses in the unit, and Justice was added in 2005. Liberty died in 2007, and the department introduced Bill and Bob during the last three years.

Waukegan is checking with other villages and cities to see if they'd like one of the horses. It's unclear what the police department would do with the horses if no one takes them, officials said.