Before the roses, there's a swearing In: the Derby week tradition most people never see

There's a moment every Derby week that happens far from the fanfare of Churchill Downs- no big hats, no blanket of roses, no roaring crowd. Just a horse farm in Goshen, a sheriff, and a handful of deputies raising their right hands.

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On Wednesday, Jefferson County Sheriff David James traveled to a farm in Goshen to swear in out-of-state law enforcement officers who have made the trip to Kentucky to join in on the festivities in a very specific way.

These deputies are trained in mounted patrol, meaning they will be working on horseback. They travel with their horses, patrol from their horses, and, for the duration of Derby week, carry the full authority of a Jefferson County deputy sheriff.

"The whole world's coming to Louisville, Kentucky," James said. "And so this is our way of helping and making sure that they are successful and making sure that people stay safe."

This year, deputies from Ohio joined officers from other parts of Kentucky to fill out the mounted patrol ranks. The number can vary year to year -James noted it often depends on which agencies can financially afford to send people- but the tradition itself is consistent. These are volunteers in spirit, even if they're paid by their home agencies. They're covering their own travel costs to be here.

Once sworn in, they're not outsiders anymore. They're part of a law enforcement operation that James says involves at least 15 different agencies- LMPD, Kentucky State Police, the National Guard, Secret Service, FBI, ATF and more- all working from a shared command post throughout the weekend.

The mounted patrol serves a dual purpose. There's the obvious security function- officers on horseback have visibility and mobility in large crowds that foot patrol simply can't match. But James also acknowledged something that anyone who's watched a crowd react to a horse knows instinctively.

"It's a great PR tool," he said. "The horses are specifically trained to be friendly with people, and so they're used to that. It doesn't cause them disturbance."

The deputies riding them, James added, are chosen in part because of that same quality- community-oriented officers who are comfortable engaging with the public.

For his department, Derby week is all hands on deck. Every deputy will be doing something. It's what James called a "rinse and repeat" operation- years of muscle memory, relationships and preparation that quietly make one of the world's most-watched sporting events run safely.

But it starts, like so many Kentucky traditions, on a horse farm. With a handshake, a badge, and a raised right hand.

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