The New York Traffic Ticket That Wouldn't Go Away

On September 15, 2008, a Judge at the Mamaroneck Village Court dismissed a cell phone ticket issued to Mayor Kathleen Savolt. Later in the month, the issuing police officer rang the bell of the Mayor and handed her a second traffic ticket for the same offense. Feeling like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day”, the Mayor was shocked and opined that this unusual action was politically-motivated. The lesson is that sometimes when a New York traffic ticket is dismissed, it is done so without prejudice for re-issuance. It is uncommon but not unheard of.