Rossville, Staten Island
Encyclopedia
Rossville is the name of a neighborhood of Staten Island, New York, located to the west of Prince's Bay
, on the island's South Shore
.
, the area that eventually became known as Rossville remained largely free of European
settlers until 1684 when the first land survey of the area was made by the British
, who obtained Staten Island from the Dutch
in the Treaty of Breda, which ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War
.
In 1692, Daniel Perrin
, a Huguenot
originally from Jersey
, was granted 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of land in the area (then known as Smoking Point) by Governor Benjamin Fletcher
.
During the mid 18th century, the area was known as Old Blazing Star, and later simply Blazing Star, for a tavern located there. The Blazing Star Burial Ground, an abandoned cemetery dating from the mid-1750s, can be found just off of Arthur Kill Road, north of Rossville Avenue.
The Blazing Star Ferry, which crossed the Arthur Kill
to Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
, was established in the years before the American Revolution
. When the Richmond Turnpike (known today as Victory Boulevard) was built across Richmond County in 1816, it improved connections to the western parts of the island and to the competing New Blazing Star Ferry in Long Neck (known today as Travis
), which had steamboat and stagecoach connections to Philadelphia.
By the 1830s the area was renamed Rossville after Colonel William E. Ross, who had built a replica of Windsor Castle
(originally known as Ross Castle, later known as Lyon Castle) on a bluff overlooking the landing of the Blazing Star Ferry.
By the mid 19th century, Rossville was a thriving farm community and the village grew around it. However, when the Staten Island Railroad
, which bypassed Rossville, opened in 1860, most Staten Islanders began referring to neighborhoods along its route on the basis of what station along the railroad line was nearest; hence Rossville became colloquially part of Prince's Bay
, the closest station to it.
The lack of access to transportation caused the town's decline until the completion of the West Shore Expressway in 1976. The resulting residential building boom encouraged long time farmers to sell their land to developers which fueled rapid growth in the area, continuing to this day.
was abolished in the State of New York in 1827, freedmen from all over the state, as well as far away as Maryland
and Virginia
, settled in the area known since colonial times as Sandy Ground, which was located in the area around what is now the intersection of Bloomingdale and Woodrow Roads in Rossville. These early settlers were skilled in the oyster
trade, and brought this knowledge with them to Staten Island. Oyster harvesting was a major business on Staten Island during the 19th century and was mainly conducted on the island's south shore
. The area of Prince's Bay was the main hub and was within walking distance from Sandy Ground. Sandy Ground also served as an important stop on the Underground Railroad
, and is the oldest continuously settled free black community in the United States.
Although remnants of the original settlement still exist, most of the original houses were destroyed in the Rossville Fire of 1963. The Sandy Ground Historical Society, which preserves the history and physical surroundings of the Sandy Ground community and maintains a museum and library, was organized on February 28, 1980, and is located at 1538 Woodrow Road.
, the oldest Roman Catholic church still standing on Staten Island, is located on Poplar Avenue in Rossville. St. Joseph's was founded on July 2, 1848, by Father Mark Murphy, pastor of St. Peter's Church, when he celebrated Mass for 58 Catholics in a house on Rossville Avenue as a mission of St. Peter's parish. In 1851, a small chapel dedicated to St. Joseph was completed on Poplar Avenue. When Father Francis DeCaro, O.F.M., was appointed as first pastor in 1855, St. Joseph's became an official parish
— the third oldest of Staten Island's 36 parishes after St. Peter's and St. Mary's.
St. Joseph's Cemetery (located at the end of Barry Street), which dates from the early 1850s, is the second oldest Catholic cemetery on the island.
The Rossville Fire of 1963
On April 20, 1963, Rossville was the scene of the worst of three devastating brush fires to strike Staten Island; the three fires collectively destroyed more than 100 homes, rendering over 500 persons homeless and causing in excess of $2 million in damage. Rossville's character would be transformed permanently by the fire as it turned out, for once the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
was opened 19 months later, it and many other Staten Island neighborhoods would witness massive new home construction (with many of the homes in Rossville which had been spared by the fire actually being demolished to make way for new, often larger ones).
, the Witte Marine Scrapyard is located at 2453 Arthur Kill Road in Rossville. Now officially known as the Donjon Iron and Metal Scrap Processing Facility, the scrapyard was opened in 1964 by J. Arnold Witte, Sr. The scrapyard is known for its large assortment of obsolete steam tugs, ferries, carfloats, and other craft. Witte acquired them faster than he could break them up; the end result is dozens of vessels slowly rotting in the muck of the Arthur Kill. A number of noteworthy vessels, including the New York City Fire Department
fireboat
Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum
tragedy and was the last coal-burning fireboat in operation in the FDNY's fleet, can be found here.
, which was organized in June 2005. Engine 168 operates out of a brand new firehouse located at the corner of Rossville Avenue and Veterans Road East, which was built in 2004, and is staffed with an FDNY EMS
Battalion.
developments and semi-detached
homes.
and is located in Region 7, Community School District 31.
Elementary school students are zoned to PS 56 Louis De Sario School, and middle school students are zoned to either IS 75 Frank D. Paulo School or IS 34 Tottenville School. For children with learning and emotional disabilities, there is a K-12 Special Needs school called South Richmond High School PS/IS 25.
The Roman Catholic elementary school in the area is the St. Joseph - St. Thomas School.
Nearby high schools include:
Prince's Bay, Staten Island
Prince's Bay is the name of a neighborhood located on the South Shore of New York City's borough of Staten Island and of an arm of Raritan Bay , on which the eastern shoreline of the community is situated...
, on the island's South Shore
South Shore, Staten Island
The South Shore is a geographical term applied to the area in the New York City borough of Staten Island, south and east of the island's ridge of hills along the waterfront and adjacent areas from the Narrows to the mouth of the Arthur Kill, although many observers prefer to restrict its scope to...
.
Early History of the Area
Originally inhabited by the Raritan IndiansRaritan (tribe)
Raritan was the name given to the Lenape Native American by Europeans who colonized the region around the Raritan River and its bay in northerneastern New Jersey and Staten Island, New York, in the seventeenth century....
, the area that eventually became known as Rossville remained largely free of European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
settlers until 1684 when the first land survey of the area was made by the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, who obtained Staten Island from the Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
in the Treaty of Breda, which ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
.
In 1692, Daniel Perrin
Daniel Perrin
Daniel Perrin was one of the first permanent European inhabitants of Staten Island, New York. Known as "The Huguenot", he arrived in New York Harbor from the Isle of Jersey on July 29, 1665 aboard the ship Philip, under the command of Philip Carteret...
, a Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
originally from Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, was granted 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of land in the area (then known as Smoking Point) by Governor Benjamin Fletcher
Benjamin Fletcher
Benjamin Fletcher was colonial governor of New York from 1692 to 1697.Fletcher was known for the Ministry Act, which secured the place of Anglicans in New York. He was succeeded as colonial governor of New York by Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont.-References:*...
.
During the mid 18th century, the area was known as Old Blazing Star, and later simply Blazing Star, for a tavern located there. The Blazing Star Burial Ground, an abandoned cemetery dating from the mid-1750s, can be found just off of Arthur Kill Road, north of Rossville Avenue.
The Blazing Star Ferry, which crossed the Arthur Kill
Arthur Kill
The Arthur Kill is a tidal strait separating Staten Island, New York from mainland New Jersey, USA, and a major navigational channel of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Kill is from the Middle Dutch word kille, meaning "riverbed" or "water channel"...
to Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
-Communities:Many distinct communities exist within Woodbridge Township. Several of these communities have their own ZIP codes, and many are listed by the United States Census Bureau as census-designated places, but they are all unincorporated areas and neighborhoods within the Township that,...
, was established in the years before the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. When the Richmond Turnpike (known today as Victory Boulevard) was built across Richmond County in 1816, it improved connections to the western parts of the island and to the competing New Blazing Star Ferry in Long Neck (known today as Travis
Travis, Staten Island
Travis is a neighborhood at the west-central shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. Some local geographers classify Travis as being on the island's West Shore, while others reckon it as a Mid-Island neighborhood.-Name:...
), which had steamboat and stagecoach connections to Philadelphia.
By the 1830s the area was renamed Rossville after Colonel William E. Ross, who had built a replica of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
(originally known as Ross Castle, later known as Lyon Castle) on a bluff overlooking the landing of the Blazing Star Ferry.
By the mid 19th century, Rossville was a thriving farm community and the village grew around it. However, when the Staten Island Railroad
Staten Island Railway
The Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, publicly known as MTA Staten Island Railway or SIR, is the operator of the lone rapid transit line in the borough of Staten Island, New York City, USA...
, which bypassed Rossville, opened in 1860, most Staten Islanders began referring to neighborhoods along its route on the basis of what station along the railroad line was nearest; hence Rossville became colloquially part of Prince's Bay
Prince's Bay, Staten Island
Prince's Bay is the name of a neighborhood located on the South Shore of New York City's borough of Staten Island and of an arm of Raritan Bay , on which the eastern shoreline of the community is situated...
, the closest station to it.
The lack of access to transportation caused the town's decline until the completion of the West Shore Expressway in 1976. The resulting residential building boom encouraged long time farmers to sell their land to developers which fueled rapid growth in the area, continuing to this day.
Sandy Ground
After slaverySlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
was abolished in the State of New York in 1827, freedmen from all over the state, as well as far away as Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, settled in the area known since colonial times as Sandy Ground, which was located in the area around what is now the intersection of Bloomingdale and Woodrow Roads in Rossville. These early settlers were skilled in the oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
trade, and brought this knowledge with them to Staten Island. Oyster harvesting was a major business on Staten Island during the 19th century and was mainly conducted on the island's south shore
South Shore, Staten Island
The South Shore is a geographical term applied to the area in the New York City borough of Staten Island, south and east of the island's ridge of hills along the waterfront and adjacent areas from the Narrows to the mouth of the Arthur Kill, although many observers prefer to restrict its scope to...
. The area of Prince's Bay was the main hub and was within walking distance from Sandy Ground. Sandy Ground also served as an important stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, and is the oldest continuously settled free black community in the United States.
Although remnants of the original settlement still exist, most of the original houses were destroyed in the Rossville Fire of 1963. The Sandy Ground Historical Society, which preserves the history and physical surroundings of the Sandy Ground community and maintains a museum and library, was organized on February 28, 1980, and is located at 1538 Woodrow Road.
St. Joseph's Church and Cemetery
St. Joseph's ChurchSt. Joseph's Church (Staten Island, New York)
The Church of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and the oldest extant Roman Catholic church on Staten Island. The nearby cemetery is the second oldest Roman Catholic cemetery on the island. The church is located on Poplar Avenue in...
, the oldest Roman Catholic church still standing on Staten Island, is located on Poplar Avenue in Rossville. St. Joseph's was founded on July 2, 1848, by Father Mark Murphy, pastor of St. Peter's Church, when he celebrated Mass for 58 Catholics in a house on Rossville Avenue as a mission of St. Peter's parish. In 1851, a small chapel dedicated to St. Joseph was completed on Poplar Avenue. When Father Francis DeCaro, O.F.M., was appointed as first pastor in 1855, St. Joseph's became an official parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
— the third oldest of Staten Island's 36 parishes after St. Peter's and St. Mary's.
St. Joseph's Cemetery (located at the end of Barry Street), which dates from the early 1850s, is the second oldest Catholic cemetery on the island.
The Rossville Fire of 1963Rossville Fire of 1963The Rossville Fire of 1963 was a fire in the neighborhood of Rossville, Staten Island.On April 20, 1963, Rossville was the scene of the worst of three devastating brush fires to strike Staten Island; the three fires collectively destroyed more than 100 homes, rendering over 500 persons homeless and...
On April 20, 1963, Rossville was the scene of the worst of three devastating brush fires to strike Staten Island; the three fires collectively destroyed more than 100 homes, rendering over 500 persons homeless and causing in excess of $2 million in damage. Rossville's character would be transformed permanently by the fire as it turned out, for once the Verrazano-Narrows BridgeVerrazano-Narrows Bridge
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....
was opened 19 months later, it and many other Staten Island neighborhoods would witness massive new home construction (with many of the homes in Rossville which had been spared by the fire actually being demolished to make way for new, often larger ones).
Witte Marine Scrapyard
Once of the largest marine scrapyards on the East CoastEast Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, the Witte Marine Scrapyard is located at 2453 Arthur Kill Road in Rossville. Now officially known as the Donjon Iron and Metal Scrap Processing Facility, the scrapyard was opened in 1964 by J. Arnold Witte, Sr. The scrapyard is known for its large assortment of obsolete steam tugs, ferries, carfloats, and other craft. Witte acquired them faster than he could break them up; the end result is dozens of vessels slowly rotting in the muck of the Arthur Kill. A number of noteworthy vessels, including the New York City Fire Department
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
fireboat
Fireboat
A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....
Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum
General Slocum
The PS General Slocum was a passenger steamboat built at Brooklyn, New York, in 1891. The General Slocum was named for Civil War officer and New York Congressman Henry Warner Slocum. She operated in the New York City area as an excursion steamer for the next thirteen years under the same ownership...
tragedy and was the last coal-burning fireboat in operation in the FDNY's fleet, can be found here.
Woodbrooke Estates and Fawn Ridge
There are 2 large condominium developments in Rossville. One is known as Woodbrooke Estates, which is a 629 unit development with 2, 3, and 4 bedroom condominiums. This development was completed in phases between 1981 and 1987. Woodbrooke Estates is surrounded by Barry Street to the north, Rossville Avenue to the east, Winant Avenue to the west, and Gervil Street (between Balsam Place and Correll Avenue) to the south. The other, slightly smaller condominium development in Rossville is Fawn Ridge, a 521 unit development which borders Woodbrooke Estates to the south. Fawn Ridge, which was constructed by Muss Development Company (the same developer that built Woodbrooke Estates), was built between 1987 and 1990, and is located along Correll Avenue, between Rossville Avenue to the east, and Winant Avenue to the west. A 26000 square feet (2,415.5 m²) shopping center, located at the corner of Rossville Avenue and Grafe Street, was opened in 1992.New Firehouse/EMS Station
Rossville is also home to the city's first new fire company in over a decade, FDNY Engine Company 168New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
, which was organized in June 2005. Engine 168 operates out of a brand new firehouse located at the corner of Rossville Avenue and Veterans Road East, which was built in 2004, and is staffed with an FDNY EMS
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
Battalion.
Rossville Today
Although originally mostly farmland, Rossville has become largely suburban in nature — a fact lamented by its original residents, nearly all of whom have since moved away, in many cases after having been bought out under pressure from aggressive developers who have torn down most of the original homes and replaced them with condominiumCondominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
developments and semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
homes.
Education
Rossville is served by the New York City Department of EducationNew York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
and is located in Region 7, Community School District 31.
Elementary school students are zoned to PS 56 Louis De Sario School, and middle school students are zoned to either IS 75 Frank D. Paulo School or IS 34 Tottenville School. For children with learning and emotional disabilities, there is a K-12 Special Needs school called South Richmond High School PS/IS 25.
The Roman Catholic elementary school in the area is the St. Joseph - St. Thomas School.
Nearby high schools include:
- Tottenville High SchoolTottenville High SchoolTottenville High School is located at 100 Luten Avenue, in Huguenot, Staten Island, New York. It is within walking distance of the Huguenot train station of the Staten Island Railway system. Tottenville H.S. is in administrative district 31. The school’s current principal is John P. Tuminaro...
- St. Joseph by the Sea High SchoolSt. Joseph by the Sea High SchoolSt. Joseph by-the-Sea High School is a co-educational Catholic school in the Huguenot neighborhood of Staten Island, New York. Though technically an independent school, it functions for all intents and purposes as a school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York; though it has its own board...
Transportation
Rossville is served by the S74/S84 local buses, as well as the X22 express bus on Woodrow Road/Rossville Avenue. It is also served by the X19, X23, and X24 express buses on Arthur Kill Road at Huguenot Avenue.Notable residents
- James A. BradleyJames A. BradleyJames Adam Bradley was a wealthy Manhattan brush manufacturer, financier, member of the New Jersey Senate, philanthropist, and real estate developer. He designed the resort destination of Asbury Park on the New Jersey Shore...
(1830-1921) - Brush maker, financierFinancierFinancier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
, New Jersey State Senator, philanthropistPhilanthropistA philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, and founder of the New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
city of Asbury ParkAsbury Park, New JerseyAsbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
and the town of Bradley BeachBradley Beach, New JerseyBradley Beach is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,298. The summer population can reach 30,000.-History:...
, which bears his name.
- Jasper Francis CropseyJasper Francis CropseyJasper Francis Cropsey was an important American landscape artist of the Hudson River School.-Biography:Cropsey was born on his father Jacob Rezeau Cropsey's farm in Rossville on Staten Island, New York, the oldest of eight children. As a young boy, Cropsey had recurring periods of poor health....
(1823-1900) - A landscapeLandscape artLandscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
of the Hudson River SchoolHudson River schoolThe Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism...
who was born on his family's farm in Rossville.
- Caleb LyonCaleb LyonCaleb Lyon was governor of Idaho Territory from 1864 to 1865 during the last half of the American Civil War....
(1822-1875) - A noted lecturer, poet, author, writer, and politician, he designed the Seal of the State of CaliforniaSeal of CaliforniaThe Great Seal of the State of California was adopted at the California state Constitutional Convention of 1849 and has undergone minor design changes since then, the last being the standardization of the seal in 1937...
. He served in the New York State AssemblyNew York State AssemblyThe New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, the New York State SenateNew York State SenateThe New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
, the U. S. House of Representatives, and later served as GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the Territory of Idaho.
- Daniel RodriguezDaniel RodriguezDaniel Rodríguez is an American operatic tenor from New York City. He became known as "The Singing Policeman" in his former work with the New York City Police Department, due to his role as one of the department's designated National Anthem singers...
(1964- ) - An operatic tenor known as "The Singing Policeman" for his former work with the New York City Police Department'sNew York City Police DepartmentThe New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
Ceremonial Unit as one of the department's designated National Anthem singers.