Nassau County police centennial to be celebrated with a parade, commemorative pins, officials announce
Nassau Det. Kenneth Baribault, who was injured 17 years ago by a drunken driver while on duty, was given the first 100th anniversary of the Nassau County Police Department commemorative pin during a ceremony on Wednesday at Mulcahy's in Wantagh. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Nassau County Det. Kenneth Baribault, injured 17 years ago by a drunken driver, was awarded the first commemorative pin on Wednesday to mark the Nassau County Police Department’s centennial.
Baribault, 47, who remains an active member of the department, was awarded the orange 100th anniversary pin by Police Commissioner Pat Ryder during a ceremony at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh. He appeared with family, department officials and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
Blakeman told Baribault, "You are somebody that has epitomized what it means to be a Nassau County police officer, with your strength, with your courage, with your dedication to the department and all the members of the department love you and we stand behind you."
Baribault was struck by a drunken driver in 2008 on the Long Island Expressway, after he had stopped a separate drunken driver on the shoulder of the LIE. The crash left him partially paralyzed and affected his ability to speak.
He appeared with his service dog, a labradoodle puppy named Lady, given to him in January by an anonymous donor and the Nassau PBA.
"It really is an honor for him to serve with the department. He takes it seriously and is thankful for the department’s support," Baribault’s sister Danielle Lanciotti said. "It’s a different career path than he expected. He wanted to climb the ranks, but he knows this work is important and feels a sense of accomplishment."
Every member of the department will wear the pins, along with a commemorative shoulder patch. The pins also were given to detectives on Wednesday.
Nassau County and the police department will mark the NCPD's anniversary during a parade on April 27, starting at 2 p.m. at Wantagh and Beltagh avenues and ending about one mile away, with a block party at Mulcahy’s.
The parade will celebrate the department as the 11th largest in the country, with more than 3,800 employees, including 2,600 sworn officers. The NCPD started more than 25 years after the county was formed in 1899, with 55 motorcycle officers.
The parade will include motorcycles with sidecars and antique Plymouth and Ford patrol cars. Every living commissioner and chief of the department were invited to participate, as well as members of village and neighboring police departments, Ryder said. He said the parade would not use any county funds.
"I am super proud and respectful of the history of the department and what it has given us," Ryder said.
Nassau County Det. Kenneth Baribault, injured 17 years ago by a drunken driver, was awarded the first commemorative pin on Wednesday to mark the Nassau County Police Department’s centennial.
Baribault, 47, who remains an active member of the department, was awarded the orange 100th anniversary pin by Police Commissioner Pat Ryder during a ceremony at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh. He appeared with family, department officials and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
Blakeman told Baribault, "You are somebody that has epitomized what it means to be a Nassau County police officer, with your strength, with your courage, with your dedication to the department and all the members of the department love you and we stand behind you."
Baribault was struck by a drunken driver in 2008 on the Long Island Expressway, after he had stopped a separate drunken driver on the shoulder of the LIE. The crash left him partially paralyzed and affected his ability to speak.
He appeared with his service dog, a labradoodle puppy named Lady, given to him in January by an anonymous donor and the Nassau PBA.
"It really is an honor for him to serve with the department. He takes it seriously and is thankful for the department’s support," Baribault’s sister Danielle Lanciotti said. "It’s a different career path than he expected. He wanted to climb the ranks, but he knows this work is important and feels a sense of accomplishment."
All police get pins
Every member of the department will wear the pins, along with a commemorative shoulder patch. The pins also were given to detectives on Wednesday.
Nassau County and the police department will mark the NCPD's anniversary during a parade on April 27, starting at 2 p.m. at Wantagh and Beltagh avenues and ending about one mile away, with a block party at Mulcahy’s.
The parade will celebrate the department as the 11th largest in the country, with more than 3,800 employees, including 2,600 sworn officers. The NCPD started more than 25 years after the county was formed in 1899, with 55 motorcycle officers.
The parade will include motorcycles with sidecars and antique Plymouth and Ford patrol cars. Every living commissioner and chief of the department were invited to participate, as well as members of village and neighboring police departments, Ryder said. He said the parade would not use any county funds.
"I am super proud and respectful of the history of the department and what it has given us," Ryder said.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
'I wish his life was longer' Long Island lost at least 5,800 years of life to fatal crashes in 2023. Newsday examines LI's dangerous roads in a yearlong investigative series. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
'I wish his life was longer' Long Island lost at least 5,800 years of life to fatal crashes in 2023. Newsday examines LI's dangerous roads in a yearlong investigative series. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
