A street in Long Island City has been renamed to honor Det. Mary “Mae” Foley, a pioneering NYPD detective who patrolled New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. The unveiling of Mary Mae Foley Way occurred Saturday afternoon at the corner of 5th Street and 50th Avenue, in front of Foley’s grandson Bob Carr and other family members, residents and officers. Deputy Chief Raymond Porteus, who led the effort to rename the street, described Foley as a "true pioneer and trail blazer," noting that she stepped into unchartered territory when she took the badge in 1923.
Foley began NYPD training in 1923 and joined the Masher Squad, a unit dedicated to protecting women from predatory men. She later became a homicide detective in Queens, investigating killers. Porteus said Foley "deescalated before there was even a word in the dictionary, and when necessary she could defend herself." He added, "Make one mistake and you might find yourself in a kimura, a jiu-jitsu move." According to the 2023 book The Girls Who Fought Crime: The Untold True Story of the Country’s First Female Investigator and Her Crime Fighting Squad, Foley was instrumental in the successful conviction of Italian-born gangster Charles "Lucky" Luciano and in exposing the secrets of the pro-Nazi German American Bund while working with Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey. Foley retired from the NYPD in 1941 but continued supporting officers.
After retirement, Foley remained active in law-enforcement circles, becoming an advocate for officers and their families and lobbying for better pay and benefits. The book passage notes that she raised two daughters with her husband and still found time to mentor younger officers. Family members who attended Saturday’s ceremony spoke of a legacy that extended beyond arrests and trials, describing a life of service that paired strength with compassion. Porteus, who led the effort to erect the sign, said Foley showed that "strength and compassion aren’t opposites. They are partners." He credited Foley’s example with inspiring current generations of officers.
The street renaming, part of a broader effort to recognize women who broke barriers in policing, places Foley among other trailblazers celebrated in New York City’s ongoing cultural history projects. The event illustrated how law enforcement history intersects with urban space and community memory, providing a lens on a period when few women wore the badge and when Queens played a notable role in major criminal cases of the era.