A recent Newsday article provides greater insight in to how traffic tickets will be handled in most of Suffolk County once the new Traffic Violations Bureau opens.
The current plan shows that six prosecutors will be employed by the court. To me, this is a strong indication that the new court will engage in plea bargaining. Under the current system, there are no deals and it is hard to win a case. Such a change is a huge win for motorists because, in most cases, a motorist can avoid a trial and get a more favorable outcome by accepting a plea offer.
The other interesting nugget is that the new court will likely be located in the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge. This location is very close to the present court’s location, and has plenty of parking. Of course, if your license is suspended, the only practical way to get to this Court is by bus or taxi. There is not train station nearby.
Finally, as I have been writing for months, any motorist with a pending case at the current court, should try and re-schedule it to beyond April 1st. Such a delay will allow you to likely plea bargain your case down rather than rolling the dice with a difficult-to-win trial.
