Det. Lt. Martin J. Harding Ret.
Yonkers PD
June 3, 1929 - July 31, 2009  


APPT:    April 16, 1953
SGT: December 14, 1967
LIEUT:    August 24, 1973
RET:       June 21, 1991

 
    Knowing Marty as well as I did it seemed to me like Marty was destined to be a cop. And that was just my feeling. Then I found out that his father Patrick spent 6 years in the "Civic Guard" in County Kilkenny, Ireland before immigrating to America and moving to Yonkers. And his brother, John Harding, was appointed a Yonkers police officer.
        Martin Joseph Harding was Born June 3, 1929 in Yonkers in the Dunwoodie section of town and as child moved to 10 Tompkins Ave. in Nepera Park. He attended St Mary's School to the 8th grade and then Gorton HS. While in school he was very active in Track and Field events, particularly running. He graduated from Gorton, and then worked as a Lineman for Westchester Light & Power Co. here in Yonkers (now Con Ed). As a young man he was always interested in riding motorcycles and as an enthusiast he participated in many dirt bike type riding competitions on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. 
    In 1947 Marty joined the Marine Corps Reserve serving a 21 month term and was discharged in 1948. Despite his previous service in the Marine Corps he was drafted into the Army on January 9, 1952. Having previously taken the YPD "Patrolman's" exam, on April 16, 1953 he was called for appointment to the  YPD but was still in the Army. Arrangements were made to allow that while home on pass, he was appointed a Patrolman and that same day he was granted a leave of absence by the police department to finish his military obligation.  
    On Jan 8, 1954 he was discharged and was reinstated to the YPD in April that year at the salary of $2,900. a year and assigned to the 3rd precinct on foot patrol with virtually no training except for a few classes given by then PO Al Rusinko. Marty walked various posts in the 3rd for 5 years and rode in a radio car for 6 years.
    A proud Irishman and always having an interest in the NYPD Emerald Society Pipe & Drum Band, Harding joined the NYPD band in 1962 and would remain a member for 17 years. On June 14, 1965, following the death of then Hack Inspector PO John Karasinski who was killed in an off duty motor vehicle accident, PO Harding was assigned to the Traffic Division, two wheel motorcycle, as the new Hack Inspector. Upon his appointment to sergeant on December 14, 1967 at $8,855, Marty was re-assigned back to 3rd as a patrol supervisor.  On April 16, 1969 one of his former radio car partners Bill Sickley, who had been appointed Public Safety Commissioner, returned him back to Traffic as the Hack Inspector once again; but this time as a sergeant. 
    From November of 1970 to January of 1971 (3 mo's) Marty attended a Traffic Science Training Program at the NYSP Academy in Albany. Upon his return, the precincts had been reduced from four to two and traffic was now assigned in each command. The North Command and the South Command. There was no longer a Traffic Division so effective January 1, 1971 he was detailed to the Parking Authority located in Larkin Plaza where he was in placed in charge of all Meter Maids. However about two weeks later, on January 18, 1971  he was assigned to the North Command leading a Special Enforcement Squad.
         Later that year on October 19, 1971 Sgt Harding was assigned to the new Special Operations Division leading the Tactical Patrol Force. A week later on October 27, 1971 he was still in SOD but now was the Traffic Enforcement Patrol Supervisor. In 1971 when President Nixon visited Westchester County and Yonkers, Sgt Harding led the motorcycle escort of the motorcade throughout all of  Westchester County for over 54 miles. Days prior to the Presidents arrival Sgt Harding worked closely with the Secret Service on the safety of the route to be taken. Up to that point, like everyone else, portable radios for motorcycle officers were fastened to their belts making it nearly impossible to hear over the roar of the engine. So, prior to President Nixon arriving, Always the problem solver, Sgt Harding bought the necessary parts to mount a speaker on the motorcycle that was connected directly to the portable radio.  This was the first motorcycle mounted police radio speaker.
     On February 26, 1972 Sgt Harding was installed as President of the Westchester County Police Emerald Society; an organization that he had been a member of for many years and which represented 26 county police departments. On August 24, 1973 Marty Harding was promoted to Lieutenant at the amazing salary of $18,018 and was assigned to HQ as the Executive Officer to DC Frank Sardo. In addition he also served as the aide to Chief William Polsen. While in this assignment and with his mind always thinking of new ideas, for some time he had been very unhappy with the appearance of the department's original triangle patch. So, in his spare time he began working on new design.The original "department" patch was in a triangle shape and very bland in color. Marty designed a new patch; dark blue with Gold letters in center and outside trim.  And then he convinced Chief Polsen to authorize the new patch. It went into effect January 1, 1975 and within a short time all the old patches had been replaced on all uniforms.
     . During this same time period Lt Harding became aware that the Yonkers Police Department did not have a department flag. He immediately began work to have a Yonkers Police Dept flag designed. It would be our very first flag. He succeeded in receiving approval for the design and the funds and ordered the flag at a cost of $395. During this same 2 year period while he worked for the Chief and Deputy Chief he also recommended and established our first Hostage Negotiating Team in the YPD and was trained for this work in the NYPD.
     In September of 1974 when PO Harold Woods was killed on duty and awarded our departments Medal of Honor, Harding learned that we had no such medal, only a honor bar. As usual, if it needed doing Marty was right there volunteering. He contacted NYPD for the necessary information and we had the first ever Medals of Honor made. The medals were fine but they didn't include ribbons to hang the medal around a recipients neck. So his wife bought ribbon and made several of them for presentation purposes.
    Still a member of the NYPD Pipe band, Lt Harding decided that we should have our own band here in Westchester.  He and a few others had been practicing playing the bag pipes in his basement since 1972, but in 1974 the Westchester County Emerald Society Pipe Band, with Lt Harding as their founder and "Bandmaster," made it's debut in March in the St Patrick's Day Parade. They wore police dress blue uniforms with green berets with their hat wreath on same. 
     In 1975 plans were in place to form an Anti Crime Unit in the Yonkers Police Dept. Lt Harding was reassigned to be the commanding officer of the new Anti Crime Unit, later renamed the Street Crime Unit. On April 7, 1978 he was awarded the first ever "Police Supervisor of the Year Award" by the Yonkers Exchange Club for the units previous year arrest record.
    In 1979 the new Police Commissioner Daniel Guido chose Harding to attend the 117th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico Va from April 1, 1979 to June 15, 1979. Upon his return he was replaced as head of the Anti Crime Unit and was placed in charge of a summer Parks Patrol detail. On Sept 17, 1979 he was transferred to the North Command on Shonnard Place (4th pct) as a patrol  "Zone Commander."  On February 17, 1981 the new Police Commissioner Charles Connolly directed Harding to research and establish an Inspections Unit which he would command. He did this for a year and on January 1, 1982 , against his wishes, he was "persuaded" by Comm Connolly into volunteering to be the Commanding Officer of the Internal Affairs Division. However, it would be a few years before he would be advanced to Detective Lieutenant. But he wasn't the type to sit in an office. When he and his partner, then Sgt Mike Novotny, weren't working an investigation, they were out on patrol responding to jobs and making arrests. He had to be active, preferably on the street. He remained in this assignment for over 10 years before retiring on June 21, 1991. 
        Continuing in the law enforcement tradition, Marty's daughter Rosemary was a police captain in the Norwalk PD. Lt Harding received a commendation on June 21, 1968 and another April 19, 1972. He received a CEPW on November 8, 1979 and another May 14, 1982. 
         According to Det John Baliscak, a long time expert in the Criminal Identification Unit,  Lt Harding, who was one of the first Yonkers officers certified to administer the newly instituted "Breathalizer," was the first officer to obtain a conviction on it's use. Det Lt Martin Harding couldn't help himself from getting involved in anything that needed to be done. I guess he had excess energy and put it to good use for the benefit of the Yonkers Police Department.
      After retirement Marty split his time living in Yonkers and in the winter in Florida. But he would eventually return to live permanently with one of his daughters.
    A heavy smoker, Marty developed emphysema, which ultimately resulted in his death on July 31, 2009.
Rest in peace my friend.  Semper Fi

May Saint Patrick watch over him.