This park was named in honor of William C. Bergen (1862-1925), a one-time policeman known as the “millionaire cop” because of the fortune he made buying vacant lots in the Bronx at the beginning of the 20th century. Bergen was a patrolman on the New York City Police Force and was assigned to the Bronx in 1905. Walking his beat, he often spotted large vacant areas that had remained undisturbed by subway lines. Seeing the potential of the undeveloped land, Bergen began buying portions of it with his life’s savings.