The office of the sheriff is historically traceable to
Alfred the Great in late 9th-century
Anglo-Saxon England. The unified kingdom was delineated into
shires, known today as counties. A king’s representative, known as a shire-
reeve, was assigned to each county, acting on behalf of the king. The English language would later evolve and over time the shire-
reeve became known as the
sheriff. The long-standing tradition of the sheriff was brought to
Long Island by its early English settlers.
Long Island was delineated into three geographical boundaries known as ridings. The West riding comprised present-day Nassau, Queens, and Kings counties. The East riding comprised present-day
Suffolk County. The North riding comprised the remaining territory. Each riding had a deputy sheriff and a high sheriff was appointed by the
governor to oversee the collective ridings that came to be known as Yorkshire. The constitutional convention of 1821 abolished the practice of appointing a high sheriff and instead, each individual county would choose their own sheriff through an election by the people. The office of the sheriff is the oldest law enforcement position in the United States. In 1898, with approval from the
New York State Legislature, the towns of
Oyster Bay,
North Hempstead, and a large portion of the
Town of Hempstead were separated from Queens County officially forming the
County of Nassau on January 1, 1899. The newly created
Nassau County would have William H Wood as its first elected sheriff. Sheriff Wood went on to appoint Henry W Skinner as his undersheriff and also appointed the first deputy sheriff's thus making the '''Nassau County Sheriff's Department''' the oldest
law enforcement agency in
Nassau County. The Nassau County Sheriff's Department went on to play a vital role in the early foundation of law enforcement in
Nassau County. In 1900 the Nassau County Board of Supervisors approved the construction of the first Nassau County Jail to be under the control of the Sheriff's Department. The jail was built as an addition to the rear of the county courthouse located in Mineola. The jail consisted of multiple floors and wings which provided separate housing for men and women. It also provided a space in the center for jailors and Matron to operate within. In 1950, to keep pace with Nassau County’s booming population, the county constructed a new correctional center located in
East Meadow, New York. The East Meadow correctional center has received multiple additions since its inception and remains the central hub for all Division of Corrections operations. In 1915, the Nassau County Sheriff's Department played a pivotal part in the implementation of a public safety telecommunications system devised by Charles A Ryder of the
New York Telephone Company. With the Sheriff's Department at the helm, the system connected the various scattered county, town, and city law enforcement agencies within the county to a central hub. This system enabled law enforcement throughout the county to easily and effectively communicate pertinent information regarding reported crimes in progress with one another. All law enforcement throughout Nassau County could be alerted to an incident if required. By the 1920s
New York City had begun to blend into Nassau County's western border. As a consequence to the
prohibition of alcohol organized crime also began to boom. In 1925 due to rising concerns for public safety the
Nassau County Police Department was founded. At the time of its formation, the Police Department was composed of fifty-five deputy sheriffs who were absorbed from the Nassau County Sheriff's Department. Today, the Nassau County Sheriff's Department employs approximately 1200 people including civilian staff, correction officers, and deputy sheriffs. Image:1899-SheriffWood.png|Nassau County sheriff Wood and undersheriff Skinner at the Nassau County's temporary court house, circa 1899 Image:DeputysOnMotors1911.jpg|Nassau County deputy sheriffs patrolling on motorcycles, cicra 1911 File:Nassau County Deputy Sheriff Tickets Lawrence Sperry.jpg|Nassau County deputy sheriff tickets Lawrence Sperry after landing a plane in the street, circa 1922. Image:DeputyCourtHouse1955.jpg|Deputy sheriff outside the Mineola courthouse, circa 1955 Image:1910-DeputyHack.png|South SideMmessenger newspaper clipping, "Nassau County Deputy Sheriff's Foil Barn Thief," circa 1910 Image:1913-DeputySherwood.png|Nassau County Review newspaper clipping, "Children Saved by Nassau County Deputy Sheriff," circa 1913 ==Department organization and rank structure==