County Executive Bruce Blakeman Announces New Police Response Team To Keep Nassau Schools And Communities Safe

On August 27, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman joined Nassau County Commissioner of Police Patrick Ryder, Nassau County Council of School Superintendents President Marie Testa, and Nassau County Legislators Thomas McKevitt, Rose Marie Walker, and Samantha Goetz to announce the creation of a new strategic response team and additional measures that are being taken to protect our schools and communities.

Members of the new 40-person response team will work closely with Nassau schools and colleges to identify potential threats and ensure the safety of students, teachers, and faculty. They will be trained to use drones to provide “eyes in the sky” and will receive weekly intelligence briefings so they are informed and ready to respond to any emergency.

“It is a great day in Nassau County to be able to let the public know that with the start of the school year, we are devoting more assets to the safety of our communities, especially our schools,” said County Executive Blakeman.

“There’s nothing more important in Nassau County than the safety and security of our students and our schools, and that has been evident in all the decisions that have been made out of these offices,” said Council of School Superintendents President Marie Testa. “There is no doubt in my mind the commitment that the police officers in every unit in the Nassau County Police Department have for the students of North Bellmore, for the students of Nassau County, and for the students across 56 districts in this county.”

In addition to establishing a new response team, Nassau County will continue to reinforce its existing police resources. The department currently has the largest mounted unit on the East Coast outside of New York City, a fully staffed K-9 unit, and a fully staffed motorcycle unit. It also employs 84 specially trained tactical officers and will be adding 10 additional members to its Emergency Service Unit.

“What we’ve done here today was invest again in security to keep your kids safe,” said Commissioner of Police Patrick Ryder. “I have to thank the County Executive, who has continued to support us.”

“Our number one job, especially with the start of the school season, is to protect our kids and to make sure they’re safe,” County Executive Blakeman stated.