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The
Westchester County Department of Public Safety was created on July 1,
1979 via merger of the Westchester County Sheriff’s Department and the
Westchester County Parkway Police. This page is dedicated to the history
of the department's predecessor agencies.
The
Westchester County Sheriff’s Department: 1683 to 1979
The
history of the Westchester County Sheriff’s Department has roots
dating all the way back to 1683 when Benjamin Collier, the first
sheriff, was appointed by the governor and council of New York. Sheriffs
continued to be appointed by the governor until 1846, when the New York
State Constitution established provisions for popular election of
sheriffs. That year, James M. Bates of Bedford was the first person to
be elected to the position of Westchester County Sheriff.
 The
election of sheriffs in Westchester County continued until 1974, when
Thomas J. Delaney was voted into the position. Delaney served until the
merger with the Parkway Police in 1979. He was then appointed as the
first Commissioner—Sheriff of the newly created Westchester County
Department of Public Safety.
The
Sheriff’s department was responsible for investigative activities
covering a wide variety of areas. The agency's investigatory jurisdiction included major crimes, high profile cases, and organized
crime control. Vice investigations—gambling, narcotics, pornography,
and prostitution—were also an area of specialty for sheriff’s
investigators.
The Sheriff’s Department also operated a tactical response team.
 Made
up of specially selected deputies, the unit trained
extensively
with special weapons (including AR-15 assault rifles and .308 sniper
rifles) and tactics. Capabilities of the squad included execution of
high-risk search or arrest warrants,
The
Westchester County Parkway Police can be traced back to the spring of
1929, when the Westchester County Park Commission annexed a group of
fifteen men from New York City to patrol the newly constructed Bronx
River Parkway. Named the Westchester County Park Patrol Force and placed
under the command of Superintendent Herman W. Merkel, the agency
reported to Park Keeper William J. Byrne. Under these appointments
effective June 1, 1926, patrolmen received an annual salary of $1,900
 At
its inception, a vast majority of the Parkway Patrol’s work was done
via surplus World War I motorcycles. This necessitated the establishment
of a full motorcycle service and repair shop under the department’s
control. When the force was established, all training was provided.
Roughly ten years later, the ability to ride a motorcycle was a
prerequisite for employment.
 By
the early 1940s, the Parkway Police had grown to a total of 94 men. Of
that number, 73 men were assigned to uniformed patrol. The Parkway
Police serviced the same parkways now patrolled by the Westchester
County Police. Additionally, they covered a number of county parks and
golf courses. The Parkway Police supplemented their traffic enforcement
and motorist assistance activities with aggressive pursuit of violent
offenders who used the parkways as a means of escape. On more than one
occasion, stick-up men were captured after a high-speed chase
and
ensuing shootout.
The
level of dedication among the Parkway Police was never more apparent
than in 1938.
 At
this time, the officers recognized a need for a fully equipped emergency
service truck. Their requisition request was denied due to budget
constraints, and the officers were told that their request would not be
fulfilled in the foreseeable future. The members of he Westchester
County Parkway Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (a predecessor to
the Department of Public Safety PBA) used their own funds to purchase
and equip a state-of-the-art emergency service truck equipped for both
rescue and riot control operations. Standard equipment included fire
fighting materials, an acetylene torch, picks, shovels, and crowbars.
The truck also hauled a tear gas launcher and gas bombs.
 In
June of 1953, the Parkway Police relocated from their headquarters on
Pond field Road in Bronxville to a new building located adjacent to the
Hawthorne circle. This building would later become the headquarters for
the Westchester County Police.
(Click on photo to view photo gallery)
The
webmasters would like to extend their thanks to Sgt. Michael Lavin and
Lt. Frank Donovan for their assistance with this section of the website.
The most extensive history of the Westchester County Police ever
compiled can be found in their book Images of America: Westchester
County Protect and Serve, available from Arcadia Publishing.
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