Merrick Road Overpass to be named after one of Nassau's fallen

Detective Kathleen Reilly

State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (8th Senate District) and Assemblyman David G. McDonough (19th Assembly District) announced today that legislation they sponsored to honor Detective Kathleen Reilly, the first woman ever appointed to the Nassau County Police Department and the first female police officer killed in the line of duty in New York State, has been signed into law by Governor David Paterson.

The Merrick Road bridge overpass which goes across the Meadowbrook Parkway in Freeport will be renamed the “Detective Kathleen M. Reilly Memorial Bridge”. The bridge is near the location where Detective Reilly was tragically killed on Christmas Day in 1967 while trying to aid a driver at an accident scene.

"Detective Kathleen Reilly's selflessness, bravery, and sense of duty enabled her to excel as a police officer and opened doors for generations of young women who aspired to serve in the Nassau County Police Department. Every woman who wears a Nassau County Police uniform today is a symbol of her legacy, and we now add to that legacy to ensure that her courageous actions and her sacrifice are never forgotten," said Senator Fuschillo.

“I am very pleased that we have finally memorialized Detective Kathleen M. Reilly, who blazed the trail for future female officers and for her sacrifice in service to others,” said Assemblyman McDonough.

Kathleen Reilly, who grew up in Baldwin, made history in 1966 by becoming the first woman ever appointed to the Nassau County Police Department and the only female in the 1966 recruit class. She was assigned to the Juvenile Aid Bureau, and was often sent out to speak with community groups across the County about police work, an assignment not normally given to new officers. In her off-duty time, she helped tutor other policemen who needed help in their civil service tests.

A year and a half after her entry into the Nassau County Police Department, she again made history when she became the department’s first female detective.

Her life was cut tragically short at the age of 28 on Christmas Day 1967, when she pulled over while off-duty to help a driver whose vehicle had struck the center divider on the median of the Meadowbrook Parkway. She was struck and killed by another vehicle as she was aiding the stranded driver.

The law takes effect on August 6, 2008

Posted Friday, July 11, 2008

Related info:
Kathleen M Reilly (The fallen)

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