Westchester County: Protect and Serve

The Westchester County Department of Public Safety celebrated its twentieth anniversary on July 1, 1999. Although the present department is relatively young, its roots go back to 1683, ranking it among the oldest police agencies in the United States. In fact, the first documented instance of a member of a law enforcement agency being killed in the line of duty in the United States was when Westchester County Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith was shot on May 17, 1792.
Westchester County: Protect and Serve offers a glimpse into the history of law enforcement in Westchester County by documenting the development of the Department of Public Safety. The department serves the residents of the county of Westchester in cooperation with many other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The sworn and civilian members of the department provide primary police coverage for county parks, facilities, and parkways, along with specialized police services to all of the communities located in Westchester County and adjoining areas.

The authors of this work, Michael J. Lavin and Frank J. Donovan, are both veteran members of the department who realized, as the twenty-year anniversary of the Department of Public Safety was approaching, that the organization's history was a story worth telling. Over the course of several years, they collected a wealth of pictures and information that is being preserved for the benefit of present and future generations.