THE GRAY RIDERS is a one-hour documentary that looks at the remarkable 100-year history of the New York State Police. The film features photographs and rare footage from the vast New York State Police archives along with dozens of interviews and comments from the men and women whose extraordinary service and dedication have made the State Police what it is today – one of the finest and most respected law enforcement agencies in the world.

A DVD of The Gray Riders is available with our thanks for your $60 contribution to WSKG’s program fund. Contribute online at WSKG.org/donate or call 1-877-975-9754.

In the Spring of 1913, Samuel Howell, the foreman of a construction firm, was attacked and robbed of the company’s payroll by four men on a rural road near the town of Bedford in Westchester County. He was shot seven times. Howell identified his attackers before he died, but the local police, fearful for their own safety, refused to pursue Howell’s assailants. They were never caught.

Outraged over Howell’s murder, Moyca Newell, who’s home Howell was building, along with Katherine Mayo, lead the effort to establish a police force that could protect the rural communities of New York State.

The Department of the New York State Police was called to duty on April 11th, 1917. That fall the first 232 troopers rode out of the New York State Fair Grounds on horseback to begin patrolling New York’s rural areas. Then as today, troopers have been there to fulfill the law enforcement needs of the people of New York State with the highest degree of fairness, professionalism, and integrity.

2017 marked 100 years of service for The New York State Troopers.

In addition to the documentary, WSKG will also distribute THE GRAY RIDERS classroom elements, connecting future generations with the history of the New York State Troopers.

A DVD of The Gray Riders is available with our thanks for your $60 contribution to WSKG’s program fund. Contribute online at WSKG.org/donate or call 1-877-975-9754.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Brian Frey is an Emmy Award winning filmmaker who has been making documentary films for public television for more than 20 years. Several of his films have aired nationally on PBS including Link: The Quiet Genius, and Watkins Glen: The Street Years. He has been nominated for 12 New York State Emmy awards for writing and producing, winning three. He has Won 11 New York State Broadcaster awards for Best Documentary. A selection of his work includes Harvest, Glenn Curtiss: The Forgotten Eagle, The Flood of ‘35, Cornell: Birth of the American University, and the profiles of industrial giants Johnson and Watson. In 2004 he was one of only 20 producers selected nationally to attend the WGBH filmmakers Academy in Boston.

Press Release – How the Gray Riders Brought Law and Order to Rural New York 100 Years Ago

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