As a New York traffic lawyer who covers matters throughout New York, I can tell you unequivocally that Nassau County is the toughest place to defend a driving while intoxicated (DWI) case. In just a few years, District Attorney Kathleen Rice has led the way to making Nassau County pretty close to zero tolerance place.
Under certain circumstances, her prosecutors will insist on jail time for a first offense and less defendants are being offered plea bargains. Early on, other counties were not following suit. But now, a palpable shift in tolerance is present throughout New York State.
It was therefore not surprising that I recently came across the above police car/taxi parked on the lawn of the Nassau County Executive Building in Mineola. It serves as a clever reminder that you better not get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking in Nassau County.
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Isn’t it time to crack down on jay walkers? Laws have been on the books for a long time but noboby in New York ever gets a ticket. It may not be easy to do in NYC but in suburban areas like Nassau County there is a lot of it. Every day I have to dodge jay walkers. They are a danger to both themselves as well as the motorist. Some appear as if they actually want to get hit for big insurance money.
Martin,
New York City tried enforcing jay walking laws under the Guiliani Administration but had little success Many police officers literally refused to participate. The one good thing that has since come out of it are the metal fences which prevent (or at least limit) pedestrians’ ability to cross in undesirable locations.
Matthew Weiss