Patrick J. Ryder

Police Commissioner

Nassau County Police Department

Patrick J. Ryder was named Commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department by County Executive Laura Curran in February 2018. Commissioner Ryder began his law enforcement career with the New York Police Department in 1984 and joined the NCPD on July 18, 1986. He was first assigned to the 3rd Precinct and then the Bureau of Special Operations in 1989. Promoted to Sergeant in 1995, he served in 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 implemented a number of life-saving programs and initiatives, including 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 Criminal Intelligence Rapid Response Team (CIRRT). These initiatives brought crime in Nassau County to historic lows.

In March 2020, County Executive Curran appointed Commissioner Ryder as the Incident Commander for the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Commissioner Ryder has a Master’s Degree in Homeland Security and Management from Long Island University. He is an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice and Intelligence-Led Policing at Nassau Community College and taught at Dowling College from 2010 to 2015. He sits on the Advisory Board for Criminal Justice at SUNY Farmingdale and was a Counter-Terrorism Lecturer at the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. Commissioner Ryder is a New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services-Certified Law Enforcement Instructor, a Certified Crime and Intelligence Analyst, and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist. He is deputized as an IRS Criminal Investigator and has trained members of law enforcement agencies worldwide. He is married to Jill and they have three children.