Lopez Playground

Palma Dr. bet. Targee St. and Oder Ave.

Staten Island

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

This playground is named in honor of police officer Luis Reynaldo Lopez (1957-1993) Officer Lopez worked in Manhattan South Narcotics Division and was slain in the line of duty on March 10, 1993 during a drug sting operation in the East Village.

Born in Honduras in 1957, Luis Lopez moved with his family to Staten Island in 1968. He graduated from McKee High School in St. George in 1975, and married Nellie Gonzalez five years later. In 1985, Lopez joined the New York Police Department. Three years later, he was promoted to detective.