Suffolk police join Patchogue Pride parade, celebrate community ties

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina joined members of the Suffolk County Police LGBTQ Society in Patchogue Pride, turning a parade route on Main Street into a public test of how far the department’s ties with LGBTQ residents have come. In a village that draws families, shoppers and weekend crowds from across the South Shore, the appearance put police outreach on display in one of Suffolk’s most visible community hubs.

The 4th annual Patchogue Pride Parade was scheduled for Saturday at noon, with the village’s official notice saying the lineup began near Route 112 and headed west to West Avenue. Other community listings described the route as moving west toward Blue Point and noted a Pride Market on Railroad Avenue after the parade. The Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce listed the event as running from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., while Patchogue Pride promoted the day as part of a community-wide Pride weekend centered on inclusion and support for local business.

Stony Brook Medicine was listed as a sponsor, adding institutional weight to an event that organizers have framed as more than a parade. In Patchogue, Pride has become a calendar fixture that blends public celebration with visibility for Long Island’s LGBTQIA+ residents, and that broader reach matters when police participation is meant to signal more than goodwill.

Catalina’s presence carried extra significance because he was sworn in as Suffolk County’s 16th police commissioner in February 2025. As the department’s top leader, his participation placed the county’s leadership in direct contact with a community that has often measured progress not by symbolism alone, but by whether public safety agencies show up consistently, listen, and follow through.

The Suffolk County Police Department says it provides community meetings and neighborhood outreach information through precinct channels and community relations resources, a reminder that relationship-building is supposed to happen well beyond parade day. Long Island Pride, produced by the NY LGBT Network, says it offers year-round programs, events and advocacy to uplift and empower the LGBTQ+ community, underscoring how Pride in Patchogue fits into a larger network of support across Long Island.

For Suffolk, the real measure of Saturday’s march is not the color on Main Street. It is whether the visibility carries into precinct meetings, everyday policing and the next round of conversations in Patchogue and beyond.