Lynbrook police get a boost. Find out what this means for you.

Communication can be the difference between life and death for first responders. The Lynbrook Police Department received $48,000 from the county’s Community Revitalization Program to improve communications for radios, an antenna, and a consolette.

By having resources to keep each other in the loop, they can better keep themselves and their community safe.

Legislator Bill Gaylor provided the CRP funding to help the Lynbrook Police Department make much-needed improvements to its communication systems, including moving everyone within the department to a digital system while improving the capabilities of their backup analog system.

“The Lynbrook police put their lives on the line whenever they go out on a call,” Gaylor said. “Anything that can help them deal with emergencies is money well spent.”

Over the past several years, the officers have all transitioned to a digital system that was more secure than the previous analog system. However, that digital system didn’t have the capacity to handle the civilian employees as well. Crossing guards, traffic enforcement agents, and other civilian employees continued using the analog system to communicate.

The department’s reliance on a split system presented potential safety issues. According to Police Chief Brian Paladino, on one occasion, an officer tried to arrest someone who sped away in their car, even dragging the officer for a period of time. The officer was able to share the situation on his radio and let people know where the car was headed, but only people on the same frequency were able to get the message.

“If you’re in a situation like that where only the police officers were able to hear that, and we have a civilian employee that’s not on the same frequency — it’s a big problem,” Paladino said. “Especially as a civilian, we’re not expecting them to take action, but we want them to be safe, and be able to communicate. Maybe they can see where the car is going, or just clear people out of the way so they don’t get hit by the car.”

Of the funding, $40,000 will provide eight new radios for the police department to move everyone onto the digital system. A $5,000 antenna will be purchased to boost the analog system still used as a backup channel when the digital channel experiences interference. The new antenna will be taller, and placed on a higher building, allowing the backup system to be reliable in case of an emergency. It will also increase communication with other departments like the Department of Public Works and the Office of Emergency Management, Paladino said.

“Communication is our lifeblood,” Paladino said. “If you’re not able to communicate clearly, or not even be heard at all, sometimes that can be your life. That’s ultimately what the problem is.”

Paladino shared that a few years ago, a young officer attempted to break up a party. Dozens upon dozens of young partygoers swarmed the officer and brought him to the ground, where they kicked him repeatedly. The officer walked away with a fractured skull — but his life intact — thanks to being able to call for help on his radio.

The remaining $3,000 will supply the department with a more modern and efficient consolette able to store more information and new software.

“The technology is always changing, and the communication equipment is getting better all the time,” Gaylor said. “I’ll do anything I can to provide them the resources that they need so that they can better do their job, and better keep us safe.

“There’s a reason why Nassau County is one of the safest, if not the safest, large county in the nation. And that’s because our police — both at the local village level and our county police — do an outstanding job keeping us safe.”