Street renamed for Nassau police's chief of patrol - Newsday
Kevin Canavan did not hesitate to help with the rescue and recovery efforts that unfolded at Ground Zero after 9/11.
He went immediately, working 16 hour shifts following the terrorist attacks, his wife, Dianne Canavan said.
But his time at the site likely led to him developing small cell carcinoma in 2023, and the cancer claimed his life at age 64 last June, according to officials.
On Thursday, the Nassau County Police Department honored Canavan — who was serving as chief of patrol at the time of his death — by renaming Grumman Road West in Bethpage and the department's aviation bureau after him.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who attended the street sign unveiling, was friends with Canavan. He described him as a person who "wasn’t afraid to take the mantle of leadership.”
During the ceremony, Blakeman recalled being in attendance last summer when Canavan received the Theodore Roosevelt Association Police Award, an honor bestowed to members of police departments who “experience serious injuries or illnesses but continue to render praiseworthy service to their departments,” according to the association’s website.
“I saw him that day, knowing that he was very, very ill, and he was dressed impeccably as he always was, looked sharp as a razor,” Blakeman said. “[He] had the roar of a lion, even though he knew that his situation was very grave, so that's the kind of courage that our chief Canavan had."
Nassau County Police's former Chief of Patrol Kevin Canavan died last June of cancer that officials say was likely caused by his exposure to Ground Zero. Credit: /NCPD
Canavan had a storied career with the Nassau County Police Department. He began as a recruit in 1985 and became a police officer pilot with the county's aviation bureau in 1989. He steadily rose through the ranks before becoming the chief of patrol.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder explained how Canavan, who at one point was in charge of both the aviation and marine bureaus, made sure that the department got “the best deal for the residents here” through the “millions and millions of dollars of assets” that he was responsible for purchasing.
Canavan also developed a drone detection unit, which was used to ensure safety during the T20 World Cup cricket tournament that was held at Eisenhower Park last summer.
Canavan's 22-year-old daughter, Heather, also spoke during the ceremony, thanking the police department for “the overwhelming love and support” shown to her family that, she said, carried them through the past year.
“[My dad] was the smartest, most hardworking man I’ve ever known, and I mean that with every bit of my heart," she said. "He dedicated his life to the department, [and] never did anything halfway."
She also discussed how her father was not only a helicopter pilot in the aviation unit, but also loved designing helicopters and would ask for her family’s input, making them feel like they “were helping in some way.”
She added, “His legacy lives on, not just in his street sign, but in every life he touched in every part of the department he helped shape."
