Rozzi, Samuel, J

Samuel was born and raised in Central Park one of 10 children. As a young boy he developed exceptional baseball skills and he went on to play semi-pro ball. He tried out to play for the Boston Red Sox. On March 8, 1948 he was sworn in as a patrolman in the Nassau County Police Dept. He rose through the ranks to commissioner in 1978, and he was appointed to this position by County Executive, Fran Purcell. Sam was considered to be an extremely good man, very quiet, very humble, and he got a lot done without a lot of fan fare.

He introduced a wide variety of new police techniques, modernizing the department and building and was considered, by law enforcement experts, as one of the top 10 suburban forces in the nation. Among the technological advances he brought to Nassau County was the nations first DNA crime-testing lab, a computerized finger printing and photo identification system, a mounted and a canine unit, and a special unit to investigate bias crimes. He is further credited with improving the effectiveness of the Aviation Bureau bringing it to a twenty four hour status with advanced anti crime and medical response capability.

He encouraged several model youth related programs such as PRIDE (Peer Resistance Instruction and Drug Education), PAVE (Police Anti-Vandalism Education), and STOP (Students and Teachers Opposed to Prejudice). He also supported the creation of an Explorer Post for teenagers who aspire to career in policing. Sam was active in introducing strategies regarding drunk driving complete with special DWI patrols. In response to crimes motivated by prejudice and hate he established a Bias Incident Investigation Program. He is responsible for a joint venture with the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration in the adoption of the Drug Recognition Expert Project.

During his administration he responded to the need for strong Police-Community relationship by establishing and maintaining dialogue with various segments of the minority population. He also established the unique Police-Educators Symposium and Police-Media Seminars.

Samuel Rozzi's academic credentials, which were earned while attending evening classes, include an Associate of Arts Degree from Nassau Community College, a Bachelor of art degree from Hofstra, and a Master Degree from Long Island University. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Executive Institute and the Executive Development Program of the Washington D. C. based Police Foundation. This background combined with his extensive management experience qualified him to serve as a member of the adjunct facility at Nassau Community College and Long Island University. His commitment to education goes beyond himself. He instituted Executive Training Programs in cooperation with the Adelphi University Graduate School of Business to provide advanced instruction to all members of the department above the rank of lieutenant.

Externally he routinely assigned personnel from the Legal Bureau, Police Academy, and other commands to provide seminars and conferences when requested by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. His professional affiliations included membership in the nations major city Chiefs Association, the International Associations of Chief of Police, New York State Chief of Police, the Rotary Club, Hofstra University Club, past president of the Long Island Chapter of the American Academy for Professional Law Enforcement.

Sam married Evelyn Jones, a school teacher, and they had three children Lynn, Samuel and Dave. Upon the death of Evelyn, he married Santa in 1982 and they moved to Oyster Bay. At this time Santa was completing her law degree at St. John's University. Born: January 22, 1925 - Died: July 30, 1992. Information from the BETHPAGE TRIBUNE and NEWSDAY.