“Very, very few” traffic tickets have been issued by the Village of Kings Point Police Department in recent months, according to the village’s Board of Trustees. Mayor Kouros “Kris” Torkan said the board raises the issue with the police department on a weekly and often daily basis at a meeting on Nov. 12.
Roughly 10-12 traffic tickets per month were issued in recent months, a sharp decrease from what “used to be” about 30 tickets, according to the board. Torkan said he is “not happy.”
“The sad part is they are not meeting our expectations with regard to enforcement,” Torkan said.
According to the Board of Trustees, the village has 15 officers, but usually two to four patrol cars are on the road at any given time. The village plans to hire additional officers to strengthen enforcement, but said
they cannot legally direct officers to target specific areas or set minimum ticket numbers.
“We cannot force them to write tickets,” Torkan said. “They have discretion under state law.”
“We are doing our best to tell them to go and enforce it,” said trustee Tedi Kashinejad. “We cannot force them, because we’re telling them and they’re still doing it their own way.”
Two residents discussed traffic-related concerns at the meeting.
One resident, who declined to provide her name, said she has voiced traffic-related concerns at six consecutive meetings. She said the traffic conditions on Middle Neck Road are “dangerous” and that she rarely sees the police enforcing speeding laws in her area.
“Cars go 50 miles an hour down Middle Neck Road,” she said. “If I’m going 30, I get tailgated and honked at. They pass me.”
A second resident, a man who spoke limited English, appeared to become emotional while describing a recent near-accident he said had occurred near his home. He asked for a stop sign or other traffic control safety measures where Cypress Avenue intersects with East Shore Road. He said he can’t see oncoming traffic when turning onto the road.
“I almost had an accident because I cannot see who is coming. It is very dangerous,” he said. “When I turn left, the cars come fast. We need a stop sign.”
The board said that New York State law prohibits the use of stop signs to control speeding and the police must conduct a formal traffic study before any changes can be implemented.
Torkan said the police department is efficient at responding to emergencies.
“The good news is when there are emergencies, I’ve never seen a better police department respond.”
