Pettler’s Mounted Forensic Operations System
Pettler’s MFOS model v1.0 released 2026
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Mounted Forensic Operational Readiness
Pettler’s Mounted Forensic Response Operations v1.0 (MFOS) is a comprehensive framework designed to develop, implement, and operationalize civilian mounted units to assist law enforcement and emergency services for forensic search, rescue, and recovery in complex urban and wilderness environments. Built from the ground up by forensic criminologist Dr. Laura Pettler, the system integrates equitation, operational discipline, and evidence-based methodology into a single, unified model for horses and humans.
Grounded in forensic psychology and forensic science and aligned with the ASTM basic standards for mounted search teams, NASAR’s Fundamentals of Search and Rescue, along with basic requirements for NASAR’s recommended equipment list, Pettler’s MFOS v1.0 establishes a level of consistency, safety, and operational integrity that enhances and expands informal or traditionally developed programs. The ASTM framework defines the minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required for mounted forensic operations personnel, while placing responsibility on the authority having jurisdiction to determine training depth, evaluation methods, and operational requirements. MFOS builds directly on that foundation.
Rather than stopping at minimum standards, Pettler’s system expands and enhances them into a fully structured operational model that includes unit architecture, performance benchmarks, certification pathways, and evidence-aware deployment protocols towards training mounted forensic specialists. The result is not simply a trained mounted team, but a professionally developed unit with defined expectations, measurable outcomes, limited liability, and long-term scalability. Unlike traditional mounted programs that evolve informally or rely solely on horsemanship, MFOS is constructed with the same level of structure and intentionality found in professional investigative and mounted policing systems. Every component is purpose-built, every standard is defined and every outcome is measurable, a foundational characteristic observable in all of Pettler’s Methods.
At its core, the system is anchored in four foundational pillars: Safety, Equitation, Performance, and Evidence. These pillars ensure that both horse and rider are not only capable in the saddle, but also reliable under pressure, responsive in dynamic environments, and aligned with operational objectives. Instruction within Pettler’s Mounted Forensic Operations System is delivered through a collaborative, multidisciplinary model that reflects the realities of field operations. Training integrates expertise from law enforcement, certified search and rescuers, professional horse trainers, crime scene investigators, forensic criminology, emergency medical services, and fire service personnel. This cross-disciplinary approach ensures that both horse and rider are developed not only in equitation and control, but also in communication, psychology, forensic science, situational awareness, and coordinated response within complex operational environments.
The MFOS model begins with unit architecture. This includes the development of mission scope, operational roles, chain of command, and deployment protocols. From there, the system establishes standardized procedures that guide response behavior, communication, and scene integrity. Even in non-law enforcement environments, the structure reflects professional operational standards, ensuring consistency, accountability, and credibility that can deploy with FEMA under NIMS. Horse selection and development are approached through Pettler’s Forensic Horsemanship methodology or at the discretion of the unit’s leader, prioritizing behavioral analysis, suitability assessment, and evidence-based training progression. Horses are not simply trained. They are evaluated and developed as operational partners, capable of functioning in unpredictable terrain, high-stimulus environments, and prolonged field conditions to mitigate liability and to enhance success.
Rider development follows a parallel path. The system defines clear performance benchmarks and introduces a structured certification framework, including the Certified Mounted Forensic Specialist (CMFS) designation and additional ratings based on terrain, operational complexity, and response type. This aligns with ASTM guidance requiring demonstration and validation of knowledge, skills, and abilities through structured evaluation, while expanding those requirements into a scalable and trackable forensic certification model.
Distinguishing Factors
What distinguishes MFOS is its emphasis on forensic psychology, forensic science, evidence awareness and scene integrity, even in environments where traditional investigative frameworks may not be present. This layer introduces a level of professionalism that extends beyond recreation or basic awareness-level search functions and positions a unit as a credible operational resource that mitigates agency, company, or stakeholder liability. Implementation of the system is hands-on and tailored to the specific environment in which the unit will operate. Terrain, climate, and organizational goals are all factored into the design. The result is not a generic program, but a fully developed unit with defined standards, operational readiness, and long-term scalability. Pettler’s Mounted Forensic Operations System is an applicable model for civilian unit development and mounted police training. It is a field-structured, standards-aligned operational model designed to produce civilian mounted units and sworn units that perform with clarity, consistency, and purpose.
History of MFOS: Development, Testing, and Validation
The original version, Pettler’s Mounted Forensic Response System, was developed, tested, and validated in 2025 by Dr. Laura Pettler. In collaboration with Coroner Karla Deese and leadership of the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit, the first mounted unit established within a coroner’s office in the United States, Dr. Pettler was sworn in as its Deputy Coroner Commander and her horse, Kismet, the first Friesian Deputy Coroner Search Horse, on January 17, 2025 in Lancaster, SC. Pettler’s training program launched in April 2025 and by November 2025, six horse and rider teams, including Dr. Pettler & Kismet, successfully completed the 2025 LCCO MRU Certified Mounted Search and Rescue (CMSAR) program, demonstrating the system’s ability to produce measurable, validated MSAR awareness outcomes within a defined training period. January 1, 2026, Coroner Deese moved her unit on to a mock-cold-call-out-scenario model, then deployed on a search for a missing elderly man in May 2026 found alive by a K9 SAR team.
Pettler’s 2025 CMSAR training program for Coroner’s Deese’s unit was built on an empirical foundation that incorporated a structured aptitude testing program across both equine and rider performance domains. Dr. Pettler presented an online topic in the LPAIFI.com each month and held monthly in-person trainings at Crossroads Ranch. In total, educational awareness was presented by the 2025 appointed MRU leadership and components included:
First aid knowledge and response readiness
Crime scene investigation fundamentals and evidence preservation protocols
Autopsy and necropsy awareness training
Mock searches
Completion of integrated online coursework monthly lectures and online quizzes in the LPAIFI.com (equipment, search/rescue/recovery, NASAR, ASTM basic guidelines for mounted units, the LCCO MRU SOP, and more…)
Test 1: The T1-MSAR - Equine Handlings, trailer safety, safety knots, and loading under controlled conditions
Test 2: The T2-MSAR - The Basic Ten: The ten most basic and foundational riding techniques required for operational control (walk, trot, canter, halt/back up; right and left: turns on the haunches, forehand, and side passes.)
Test 3: The T3-MSAR - Search pattern formations awareness and practice coordinated team movement
Test 4: The C-MSAR - Timed obstacle courses designed to assess human and horse performance under pressure
Consistent with NASAR and ASTM guidance, validation of knowledge, skills, and abilities was conducted through a combination of demonstration, scenario-based evaluation, and performance testing. Both horse and rider were assessed individually and as a team within controlled environments prior to final qualification. This testing structure ensured that certification was not based on being able to sit on horse, but on demonstrated competency: knowledge, comprehension, and application of horsemanship and search principles. The successful completion of the CMSAR final examination by all six teams confirmed that the system was capable of producing basic operationally-ready mounted units with standardized training, measurable performance, and repeatable outcomes. So Dr. Pettler moved on to build the next generation, Pettler’s Mounted Forensic Operations System.
For more information about building your new Mounted Forensic Operations Unit, contact Laura Pettler & Associates, or Instructors Laura Pettler, Sgt, Chris Herman, or Major Grant Durham.
