How refreshing it is to see a police department showing the kind of creativity and flexibility that the one in Pinehurst has been demonstrating lately.

We're talking about the decision to proceed with formation of a voluntary horseback unit to assist with search and rescue operations and special events. Its members wouldn't be packing guns, they mostly wouldn't be trotting around downtown, and they wouldn't be police officers as such. But they could play a very helpful role in certain situations.

Under its still-new chief, Earl Phipps, the department has shown an admirable level of imagination in involving village residents in programs in ways that give them a sense of participation and ownership. We hope other law enforcement agencies are paying attention.