Top Cop: Pat Ryder

Pat Ryder was named Commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department in February 2018. He has spent 38 years in law enforcement, serving the last 36 years with the Nassau County Police Department. Commissioner Ryder began his law enforcement career with the New York Police Department on January 4, 1984. He joined the NCPD on July 18, 1986, and was assigned to the 3rd Precinct and in 1989 assigned to the Bureau of Special Operations. Promoted to Sergeant in 1995 and assigned to the 5th Precinct, 8th Squad, and the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) as the Deputy Commanding Officer. 

In 2008 he was designated the Commanding Officer of AFU, where he proactively implemented a number of life-saving programs and initiatives that helped ensure officer and public safety. These include the NCPD’s Real-Time Intelligence (RTI) system; the R.E.A.C.H. Program; the Civilian Intelligence Analyst Program; the DNA Collection Initiative; and the creation of the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Think Tank, and the Department’s Criminal Intelligence Rapid Response Team (CIRRT). Together these initiatives have brought crime in Nassau County to historic lows, allowing residents to enjoy one of the lowest crime rates in the United States.