Mid-Hudson Bridge Lights Up To Honor State Police's 100th Anniversary

Purple lights illuminated the arches and spans of the Mid-Hudson Bridge on Tuesday as members of the New York State Police from Troop K and Troop F congregated at Victor C. Waryas Park in honor of the State Police’s 100th Anniversary.

The Mid-Hudson Bridge was illuminated in purple in honor of the New York State Police’s 100th Anniversary.
Photo Credit: *New York State Trooper Joseph Alma*

K Reakes

04/12/2017 12:00 p.m.

In celebration of 100 years of service to the state, Major Robert M. Nuzzo and Major Joseph A. Tripodo said they were extremely proud of the department's history of professional service to the Hudson Valley and will continue to carry on the tradition the original 232 troopers started in 1917.

The department was formed following the 1913 murder of a construction foreman in Westchester County. With no local police department at the time, the man’s killers escaped, even though he had identified them before he died, state police said.

Following his death, the man’s employer, Moyca Newell, and her friend, author Katherine Mayo, started a movement to form a State Police department.

As the result of their efforts, the State Legislature passed legislation on April 11, 1917, that established the New York State Police as a full-service agency.

Shortly afterward, the first troopers rode out of the New York State Fair on horseback to begin patrolling New York's rural areas.

Click here to follow Daily Voice Southwest Dutchess and receive free news updates.