August 13, 2026 • 11 mins
Pat Ryder, Nassau County Police Department Commissioner, joins Sid to offer his reaction to Gov. Kathy Hochul remaining steadfast in countering federal deportation efforts via I.C.E. across the state, as the governor’s race tightens less than three months until Election Day – and just days before the president heads to Long Island to appear with Republican gubernatorial nominee and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is the seventy seven WABC Mini cast. My buddy
Bruce Blakeman has cut that lead down to ten in
a Siana Paul which, by the way, Lean's left, and
she talks specifically about Nassau County's relationship with ice.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Imagine that.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Imagine Nassau County doing a good job with ice. Now
I know what happened to Preddy and good in Minnesota.
I think there have been four people that have been
killed since Tom Holman and Mullins and dating back to
Nolan started cleaning up our cities by deporting thousands, not
four thousands of murderers, rapists, drug dealers.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Really bad people getting them out of there. You look
at the numbers, it's not even close. Why are we
even arguists?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Why because Democrats are lunatics and Nassau County has done
an incredible job of removing very, very dangerous people from
the streets. That's why it remains the safest county in America.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And it's big, very big.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Part of the reason why, besides Bruce Blakeman's policies, is
they've got a police commissioner who I'm in love with.
The guy's he's a hero. He is a tough son
of a bitch. He doesn't care. He will make sure
those streets are safe. And he's my dear friend, pat Ryder.
And Patty is here right now this morning, mister police commissioner,
(01:31):
how are.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
You, good morning? Said thank you for having me on now.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
It's great to have you. Now, it's great to have you.
So you weren't Kathy Haunkoll. She basically said, Look, I
don't care what Bruce and Patty have been doing in
Nashau County. I'm the lawmaker. I'm the governor. We've got
laws in New York and they're gonna follow those. What
is your answer to the governor who loves crime? Well,
you guys keep crime at a minimum.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So with the safest county in America for a reason.
And then we keep pushing the issues that need to
be pushed and make sure our residents who deserve the
best service are taken care of. And we go after
these bad people. Bad people do bad things, and when
they do that and they are illegal in this country,
they get turned over to ICE. If we arrest you
(02:17):
on probable cause and we bring you in and you
have a judicial hold, we will notify Ice and turn
you over to ICE. It's part of what we do.
Right now, they send down a letter that they're changing.
The law has been changed. We have to go into
effect by August twenty fifth. The county executive and the
lawyers are reviewing it. The county Exectuve maate it very clear.
(02:38):
He said we will follow the law. But that doesn't
mean the county is acor to fight right down to
the last minute, to fight for what he believes is right,
and that is protecting the people in Nasall County.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So let me get this straight, because I'm not that smart.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Okay, the law is going to make people less safe
and count the whole goal. Well, absolutely make sure you
follow the law to keep Nassau County residents less safe.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Am I missing something?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
You know, you're pretty much called the right the law
that's been changed by the culture up in Albany, which
is not pro law enforcement, and that law has been
changed to not back up the cops. I have the
great pleasure of working for a county executive that backs
his cops, backs his fireman, backs his anybody that is
employed here by Nasau County. But he'll call you out
(03:32):
when he needs to call you out. And tell you
when you're doing something wrong. And in this case, he's
backing us up. But he also knows that if the
law is what it is he said, he will follow
the law, but he's going to fight to do what
he believes is right. And that's backing up his cops.
Because when you got an illegal like we did and
set over twenty something fires here in Nasau County, and
(03:54):
when we arrested him perhaously, he was deported. But that
individual twenty different times, volunteer firemen have been called out
of the house. Police officers have been rushing to these
calls to make sure that we're saving the people that
are involved in these fires. What is that fireman dies
on the way or that police officer dies on the way.
He's responsible to that. He started the ball rolling and
(04:17):
he's the person that's here illegal that the County exact
wants to remove from our county.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I've got another story for you, and two story. It's
not a story, unfortunately, it's real.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Besides a guy starting the fires. I mean, I may
be wrong.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I don't live in Nasau County, so Patty correct me up,
I'm wrong, But did you not have one guy a
couple of months ago that went to two different residences
in Nassau County and stab murder two different women in
two different residences, and he was.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Illegal, that is correct. It was a homicide in Valleys
Stream and the other one was in Island Park and
both of those women were brutally murdered by this individual
who was here illegally in the country.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
So what is Kathy Hoko's response to that.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Well, in that case, we're going to hold him, and
the district attorney and Donny is going to prosecute him.
And after he's prosecuted, he'll be sent to jail, but
somewhere along the way there'll be a detainer put on
him by ice. And when he does finish serving that sentence,
which should be a life sentence, he's going to be
turned over then be deported out of this country. But
we will keep him here to answer for our victims.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And what about all the gang activity. I don't know
if it's still as bad, Patty as it was years ago.
President Trump actually did an amazing job with that. You
got a bunch of gangs out there now, those not
as Whelan Suit, but specifically MS thirteen. You guys have
done a really good job of making it more safe again,
spinning in the face of what Kathi Hoko wants to do.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
How was that recently the gang activity?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Gang activity is way down, Shootings are way down, crime
is way down. And the reason that is is because
of an intelligence led policing program, because of the investment
that we get from our government to get the intelligence
tools that we need to go find these people and
sort them out and put them into jail. It's only
because of the enforcement that it's done. When President Trump
(06:03):
came his first term and he came here and addressed
the gang issue, he gave us funding, and he gave
us resources, and he gave us connections into the world
of all of our federal partners that we never did.
He opened up the doors and since then we've been
crushing it. When it comes to going after the gang activity.
It pops its uglyhead every once in a while, but
we'll play whack a mole. We'll whack it right back down.
(06:24):
Put these guys in jail, and if they are here illegally,
they will be turned over the ice when they have
that judicial hole that that probable cause arrest is done
and prosecuted in the courts.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
So there's really though, from a legal standpoint, Pat Ryder,
the amazing National County Police Commissioner, from a legal standpoint,
there's really nothing you can do with Kathy Hochel. In fact,
you know sends excuse me, executes that law and you
guys are forced to follow it sometime on or around
August the twenty fifth, and I know you're going to
fight and do whatever you can too to stop it,
(06:56):
but eventually she's going to get to win.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Right, There's really nothing you can do.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
We are law in order. We have to follow the laws,
and that's what we'll do. But we will do everything
in our power to make sure that the streets here
in Nasa County are safe.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I remember years ago two you mentioned Trump came out
there as first term. Pat, You're right and was dealing
with the gangs. And when the amazing officer Jonathan Diller
was gunned down and murdered on the other side in
Queen's He was a massive Pequel resident. Everybody knows and
loves Stephanie Diller, and little Ryan was almost three, I
guess at this point, and I was there at that
(07:30):
funeral in Massapequel. What an amazing day that was and
other cops out there were just unbelievable. Just your whole
crew out there and supporting Jonathan Diller. I just love
the way Nassau County treats the police and the citizens.
I got to tell you what happened that day, Pat,
which I really loved. I was walking outside the church
after the ceremony with Pete King, and I noticed a
(07:54):
whole bunch of Nassau County residents walking out with water
and sandwiches for all the cops and all the people
that were there to honor the late Jonathan dinnar.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
It was a beautiful display. Pat, you were there by
the residents of Nassau County.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah, let me tell you something when obviously it's a
tragedy when they take one of ours, but we come
out tenfold when you take one of ours, We're getting stronger,
We're not getting weaker. We stood by, you know, Stephanie
and her family. The county executive pulled out every resource
that we had to make sure that this funeral went
off without a hitch because the large crowds. But what
(08:33):
made it happen was the community here in Nassau County.
They back and respect their police we back and respect
our communities. That's what makes it work. And we continued that.
We got great partners now in Suffolk County. Kevin Catalina
is a great commissioner out there. You know, we still
work with all of our federal partners. We'll still work
with all of our local partners, our villages and our cities.
(08:56):
We'll also work greatly with the NYPD. We just got
a whole that we can continue to have them relationships.
When it's cop the cop, that'll always be that no
politician could ever break that.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Suffolk County is great. Lusavello is a terrific guy.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
And my friend Mike Bandenberg and his now fiance Lisa
Swolo who her husband Paul, was also a comp murdered
in the line of duty. What they do with Season
of Hope. They actually provide the payment for CoP's funerals
and little kids who were killed on Long Island, they
pay for all their funerals. So there is a great
synergy now, Pat between Nasau and Suffolk.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
County, and you both do a great job.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Whether it's Bruce Blateman in Nassau County or Ed Romaine
in Suffolk County. There's a reason why Long Island at
this point may be the best place to live anywhere
in the country. Now talking about Long Island, pat big
day tomorrow, and for you it's a big headache. Anytime
the president comes to town, that's a lot of work
for Pat Ryder and the local police force. What does
(09:53):
your next twenty four hours look like?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Anytime any dignitary comes to a county, our Special Investigation
Squad SIS works hand in hand with the Secret Service,
State Department, whoever it is, FBI, and we make sure
that that dignitary is protected. The President, the FBI director,
whoever it is, coming to this county. Under any administration,
we treat everybody the same. We put out the resources
(10:20):
to protect them. But I watched what's happened in the
academy for the last couple of days and how they're
turning the building around to make it work. They come
in it's like a movie production and we're not doing anything.
We're not lifting a finger. It's all them. They bring
their own cleaning crews, they set everything up, and when
it's all done, they break it all down and they're
on to their next movement. They do it with professionalism
(10:43):
and the relationship that we have with them is great.
They've been hand in hand with us. The Secret Service
has been phenomenal. They've been here now for about a week,
and we follow their lead. It's our house, it's our backyard,
but it's their lead because they have that protectee and
that's their job and they want to make sure everybody
gets in the safe. It will be the safest place
in the county on that day.
This is the seventy seven WABC Mini cast. My buddy
Bruce Blakeman has cut that lead down to ten in
a Siana Paul which, by the way, Lean's left, and
she talks specifically about Nassau County's relationship with ice.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Imagine that.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Imagine Nassau County doing a good job with ice. Now
I know what happened to Preddy and good in Minnesota.
I think there have been four people that have been
killed since Tom Holman and Mullins and dating back to
Nolan started cleaning up our cities by deporting thousands, not
four thousands of murderers, rapists, drug dealers.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Really bad people getting them out of there. You look
at the numbers, it's not even close. Why are we
even arguists?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Why because Democrats are lunatics and Nassau County has done
an incredible job of removing very, very dangerous people from
the streets. That's why it remains the safest county in America.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And it's big, very big.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Part of the reason why, besides Bruce Blakeman's policies, is
they've got a police commissioner who I'm in love with.
The guy's he's a hero. He is a tough son
of a bitch. He doesn't care. He will make sure
those streets are safe. And he's my dear friend, pat Ryder.
And Patty is here right now this morning, mister police commissioner,
(01:31):
how are.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
You, good morning? Said thank you for having me on now.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
It's great to have you. Now, it's great to have you.
So you weren't Kathy Haunkoll. She basically said, Look, I
don't care what Bruce and Patty have been doing in
Nashau County. I'm the lawmaker. I'm the governor. We've got
laws in New York and they're gonna follow those. What
is your answer to the governor who loves crime? Well,
you guys keep crime at a minimum.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So with the safest county in America for a reason.
And then we keep pushing the issues that need to
be pushed and make sure our residents who deserve the
best service are taken care of. And we go after
these bad people. Bad people do bad things, and when
they do that and they are illegal in this country,
they get turned over to ICE. If we arrest you
(02:17):
on probable cause and we bring you in and you
have a judicial hold, we will notify Ice and turn
you over to ICE. It's part of what we do.
Right now, they send down a letter that they're changing.
The law has been changed. We have to go into
effect by August twenty fifth. The county executive and the
lawyers are reviewing it. The county Exectuve maate it very clear.
(02:38):
He said we will follow the law. But that doesn't
mean the county is acor to fight right down to
the last minute, to fight for what he believes is right,
and that is protecting the people in Nasall County.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So let me get this straight, because I'm not that smart.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Okay, the law is going to make people less safe
and count the whole goal. Well, absolutely make sure you
follow the law to keep Nassau County residents less safe.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Am I missing something?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
You know, you're pretty much called the right the law
that's been changed by the culture up in Albany, which
is not pro law enforcement, and that law has been
changed to not back up the cops. I have the
great pleasure of working for a county executive that backs
his cops, backs his fireman, backs his anybody that is
employed here by Nasau County. But he'll call you out
(03:32):
when he needs to call you out. And tell you
when you're doing something wrong. And in this case, he's
backing us up. But he also knows that if the
law is what it is he said, he will follow
the law, but he's going to fight to do what
he believes is right. And that's backing up his cops.
Because when you got an illegal like we did and
set over twenty something fires here in Nasau County, and
(03:54):
when we arrested him perhaously, he was deported. But that
individual twenty different times, volunteer firemen have been called out
of the house. Police officers have been rushing to these
calls to make sure that we're saving the people that
are involved in these fires. What is that fireman dies
on the way or that police officer dies on the way.
He's responsible to that. He started the ball rolling and
(04:17):
he's the person that's here illegal that the County exact
wants to remove from our county.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I've got another story for you, and two story. It's
not a story, unfortunately, it's real.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Besides a guy starting the fires. I mean, I may
be wrong.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I don't live in Nasau County, so Patty correct me up,
I'm wrong, But did you not have one guy a
couple of months ago that went to two different residences
in Nassau County and stab murder two different women in
two different residences, and he was.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Illegal, that is correct. It was a homicide in Valleys
Stream and the other one was in Island Park and
both of those women were brutally murdered by this individual
who was here illegally in the country.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
So what is Kathy Hoko's response to that.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Well, in that case, we're going to hold him, and
the district attorney and Donny is going to prosecute him.
And after he's prosecuted, he'll be sent to jail, but
somewhere along the way there'll be a detainer put on
him by ice. And when he does finish serving that sentence,
which should be a life sentence, he's going to be
turned over then be deported out of this country. But
we will keep him here to answer for our victims.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And what about all the gang activity. I don't know
if it's still as bad, Patty as it was years ago.
President Trump actually did an amazing job with that. You
got a bunch of gangs out there now, those not
as Whelan Suit, but specifically MS thirteen. You guys have
done a really good job of making it more safe again,
spinning in the face of what Kathi Hoko wants to do.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
How was that recently the gang activity?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Gang activity is way down, Shootings are way down, crime
is way down. And the reason that is is because
of an intelligence led policing program, because of the investment
that we get from our government to get the intelligence
tools that we need to go find these people and
sort them out and put them into jail. It's only
because of the enforcement that it's done. When President Trump
(06:03):
came his first term and he came here and addressed
the gang issue, he gave us funding, and he gave
us resources, and he gave us connections into the world
of all of our federal partners that we never did.
He opened up the doors and since then we've been
crushing it. When it comes to going after the gang activity.
It pops its uglyhead every once in a while, but
we'll play whack a mole. We'll whack it right back down.
(06:24):
Put these guys in jail, and if they are here illegally,
they will be turned over the ice when they have
that judicial hole that that probable cause arrest is done
and prosecuted in the courts.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
So there's really though, from a legal standpoint, Pat Ryder,
the amazing National County Police Commissioner, from a legal standpoint,
there's really nothing you can do with Kathy Hochel. In fact,
you know sends excuse me, executes that law and you
guys are forced to follow it sometime on or around
August the twenty fifth, and I know you're going to
fight and do whatever you can too to stop it,
(06:56):
but eventually she's going to get to win.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Right, There's really nothing you can do.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
We are law in order. We have to follow the laws,
and that's what we'll do. But we will do everything
in our power to make sure that the streets here
in Nasa County are safe.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I remember years ago two you mentioned Trump came out
there as first term. Pat, You're right and was dealing
with the gangs. And when the amazing officer Jonathan Diller
was gunned down and murdered on the other side in
Queen's He was a massive Pequel resident. Everybody knows and
loves Stephanie Diller, and little Ryan was almost three, I
guess at this point, and I was there at that
(07:30):
funeral in Massapequel. What an amazing day that was and
other cops out there were just unbelievable. Just your whole
crew out there and supporting Jonathan Diller. I just love
the way Nassau County treats the police and the citizens.
I got to tell you what happened that day, Pat,
which I really loved. I was walking outside the church
after the ceremony with Pete King, and I noticed a
(07:54):
whole bunch of Nassau County residents walking out with water
and sandwiches for all the cops and all the people
that were there to honor the late Jonathan dinnar.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
It was a beautiful display. Pat, you were there by
the residents of Nassau County.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah, let me tell you something when obviously it's a
tragedy when they take one of ours, but we come
out tenfold when you take one of ours, We're getting stronger,
We're not getting weaker. We stood by, you know, Stephanie
and her family. The county executive pulled out every resource
that we had to make sure that this funeral went
off without a hitch because the large crowds. But what
(08:33):
made it happen was the community here in Nassau County.
They back and respect their police we back and respect
our communities. That's what makes it work. And we continued that.
We got great partners now in Suffolk County. Kevin Catalina
is a great commissioner out there. You know, we still
work with all of our federal partners. We'll still work
with all of our local partners, our villages and our cities.
(08:56):
We'll also work greatly with the NYPD. We just got
a whole that we can continue to have them relationships.
When it's cop the cop, that'll always be that no
politician could ever break that.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Suffolk County is great. Lusavello is a terrific guy.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
And my friend Mike Bandenberg and his now fiance Lisa
Swolo who her husband Paul, was also a comp murdered
in the line of duty. What they do with Season
of Hope. They actually provide the payment for CoP's funerals
and little kids who were killed on Long Island, they
pay for all their funerals. So there is a great
synergy now, Pat between Nasau and Suffolk.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
County, and you both do a great job.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Whether it's Bruce Blateman in Nassau County or Ed Romaine
in Suffolk County. There's a reason why Long Island at
this point may be the best place to live anywhere
in the country. Now talking about Long Island, pat big
day tomorrow, and for you it's a big headache. Anytime
the president comes to town, that's a lot of work
for Pat Ryder and the local police force. What does
(09:53):
your next twenty four hours look like?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Anytime any dignitary comes to a county, our Special Investigation
Squad SIS works hand in hand with the Secret Service,
State Department, whoever it is, FBI, and we make sure
that that dignitary is protected. The President, the FBI director,
whoever it is, coming to this county. Under any administration,
we treat everybody the same. We put out the resources
(10:20):
to protect them. But I watched what's happened in the
academy for the last couple of days and how they're
turning the building around to make it work. They come
in it's like a movie production and we're not doing anything.
We're not lifting a finger. It's all them. They bring
their own cleaning crews, they set everything up, and when
it's all done, they break it all down and they're
on to their next movement. They do it with professionalism
(10:43):
and the relationship that we have with them is great.
They've been hand in hand with us. The Secret Service
has been phenomenal. They've been here now for about a week,
and we follow their lead. It's our house, it's our backyard,
but it's their lead because they have that protectee and
that's their job and they want to make sure everybody
gets in the safe. It will be the safest place
in the county on that day.
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