100 Years of the Nassau County Police Department Celebrated in Grand Parade

WANTAGH, N.Y. - Thousands gathered along Wantagh Avenue on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the Nassau County Police Department’s 100th anniversary with a massive parade.

Standing shoulder to shoulder — six deep in some areas — spectators gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Nassau County Police Department in what officials hailed as the largest police parade in the nation.

The massive event featured nearly 2,000 marchers, including a striking formation of motorcycle officers from around the country. The one-mile procession, dubbed “a super block party” by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman when he announced the centennial celebration last month, transformed the heart of Wantagh into a sea of blue and flashing lights.

A special tribute was paid to the original 55-member police force that founded the department in 1925, half of whom served as motorcycle officers. Their legacy was brought to life as more than 250 police motorcycles and vehicles — both vintage and state-of-the-art — rolled past cheering crowds, representing departments from across the United States, and more specifically, Long Island.

Nassau County’s police department, now the 12th largest police force in the country with approximately 2,600 officers, surpasses the size of police forces in major cities like Boston and Baltimore. On Sunday, that scale was on full display.

The parade included marching bands, honor guards, antique patrol cars, armored response units, and even mounted police. Hundreds of retired officers joined their active-duty counterparts, walking shoulder-to-shoulder in a show of pride and solidarity.

Children waved miniature flags and clapped as helicopters hovered overhead in a ceremonial flyover, while veterans and seniors looked on with reverence, some donning hats and jackets from their own years of service.

According to officials, nearly 70,000 people flooded Wantagh for the law enforcement celebration parade.

As Nassau County turned a century old in law enforcement, the overwhelming turnout showed one thing clearly — public support for those who wear the badge remains as strong as ever.