Thursday, October 1, 2026
On March 26, Lynbrook resident Marisa Faranda reported her husband parked near Lloyd Avenue, and when he opened his car door, another vehicle zoomed past and almost hit him.
“This was right as children were being dropped off at schools in the area,” Faranda recounted. “(I’m) hoping the Lynbrook Police Department was in pursuit and cornered him.”
The area Faranda mentioned is actually not under Lynbrook police jurisdiction — and is patrolled by Nassau County Police Department. But Lynbrook Police Chief Brian Paladino said that one of his officers tried to pull over a speeding white Jeep Cherokee, the same model and color that Faranda described, that afternoon, near the intersection of Durland Road and Dunn Place. The officer attempted to pursue the vehicle, but called off the chase for safety reasons.
“We’re not going to have people get hurt, or ourselves get hurt, just for a traffic ticket,” Paladino said.
To address growing concerns about speeding, Lynbrook police have implemented several initiatives, including deploying traffic data collectors, discreet cameras placed in areas identified as hot spots, where vehicles ignore the village’s 30-mile-per-hour speed limit.
Paladino said the data collectors allow officers to investigate speeding incidents after they happen, and use their resources more efficiently.
“What residents don't like to hear is that having an officer sit for 24 hours to find the one guy who’s doing 45 on your 30-mile-an-hour block is fruitless,” Paladino said. “I’d rather have them up at Peninsula Boulevard, in a busier area, and write five tickets in a 24-hour period to send a message: slow down.”
Last week’s pursuit was part of the department’s Stop Aggressive Driving Now program, which focuses on reckless driving, especially during the morning hours, when parents are dropping their children off at local schools. April is also Distracted Driving Awareness Month, promoting safe driving behavior.
Effective traffic enforcement can cause a reduction in crime, because proactive policing may deter criminals from operating in areas where law enforcement is visible and active, Paldino explained. A 2021 study by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, titled “Data-driven approaches to crime and traffic safety,” reached similar conclusions.
Diana Rolly, an area resident for over 40 years, expressed frustration about speeding and reckless driving, which she believes has increased in recent years, particularly during the summer months.
“Lynbrook is a racetrack,” she said. “It’s only getting worse, and will continue to.”
Despite concerns raised by residents about speeding in areas of Lynbrook, Paladino pointed to recent data showing a decline in accidents in the village over the past 10 years. In 2015, the department responded to around 1,500 accidents, and last year the number was roughly 800.
Most occurred along Sunrise Highway, and many of those at the Broadway intersection.
According to the state Department of Transportation, Lynbrook saw a significant decrease in vehicle accidents compared with neighboring Valley Stream, which recorded more than 2,500 crashes in 2024. The number of accidents in Lynbrook is still higher than West Hempstead’s roughly 300 incidents in 2024.
Paladino said the issue reminds him of a “Simpsons” episode in which Homer Simpson runs for garbage inspector. In his campaign, he promises all the town’s requests, and he actually delivers.
“And then he finds out he’s out of money,” Paladino said. “So the moral of the story is, you just don’t have unlimited resources. We deliver much more localized service than Nassau County, than the New York City Police Department, because we’re able to concentrate more in a smaller area. However, we’re not perfect, and the level of service that some people would like would be astronomical, and just can't be delivered.”
