Police officers in three North Shore villages reported average annual earnings substantially higher than the Nassau County police average, according to a new public payroll report, though one village attributed its figures to staffing shortages and overtime.
The Empire Center for Public Policy’s What They Make 2026 report, released Oct. 21, found that police employees in Lake Success averaged $250,424 in earnings during fiscal year 2025-26, compared with $237,588 in Sands Point and $232,721 in Great Neck Estates. One of Lake Success’s officers, Joseph Gardella, earned $381,825, ranking as the third-highest-paid local government employee on Long Island, according to the report.
