This Keystone K-84 Commuter amphibian bears civil registration NC370N, an unusual early-1930s aircraft documented as registered to the New York Police Department (NYPD) until its cancellation in 1935. 

The K-84’s design reflects a transitional moment in aviation: a high-wing, strut-braced configuration paired with a boat-style hull and auxiliary wheels. This allowed operations from both water and land, an attractive capability for municipal policing in New York, where waterways, harbors, and shoreline infrastructure played a major role in transportation and security. 

A prominent “POLICE” marking suggests its use for patrol, observation, and transport duties. Amphibian aircraft offered the NYPD flexibility for harbor surveillance, emergency response, and access to areas beyond the reach of conventional ground units. 

Registration records indicate NC370N remained active until 1935, consistent with the relatively short service lives typical of experimental and early municipal aircraft. By the mid-1930s, designs like the K-84 were rapidly superseded by more efficient and standardized platforms. 

The peculiar proportions and hybrid layout seen here are characteristic of early-1930s experimentation, making this image a strong visual document of a brief but inventive chapter in American civil and police aviation. 

Although the specific airfield cannot be conclusively identified, two contextual details point to a New York setting: the aircraft was registered to the NYPD, and the photographer carried a Woodside, Queens imprint.