NYPD Denied Vacation/Sick Time Until Ticketing Increases

As we recently reported, there has been a drastic reduction in the amount of summonses and tickets issued by the NYPD over the past couple of weeks. In fact, the NYPD has issued 90% fewer tickets than it had in the same period last year.

NYPD Chief Bill Bratton
NYPD Chief William Bratton who has ordered police to return to issuing citations and traffic tickets in force. (Photo Source: Wikipedia)

This drastic reduction in ticketing, which is likely fueled by the officers’ disagreements with the de Blasio administration in light of the Eric Garner grand jury decision and the shooting of two officers in Brooklyn, will have a significant impact on both the finances of the city as well as the safety of its citizens.

In an attempt to rectify this problem, Police commissioner Bratton has ordered police officers back to work. The mandate to return to ticketing and writing summonses has gone farther then a simple directive. Looking at a few examples of the pressure being placed on officers to increase ticketing, consider this:

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NYC Traffic Tickets Down 90% with NYPD Work Slowdown

As reported by The New York Times, traffic tickets in New York City have plunged for the second week in a row.

NYPD Officers
Over the past 2 weeks NYPD officers have issued 90% fewer traffic tickets than the same period a year ago. (Photo source: wikipedia)

This drastic drop in ticketing, along with a drop in arrests and summonses, can directly be attributed to the NYPD work slowdown following the murder of two officers in Brooklyn. The murderer justified his actions as a response to alleged police brutality in the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri as well as the Eric Garner case in Staten Island.

Officers partially blame Mayor de Blasio for encouraging anti-police rhetoric and have begun a work slowdown as a sign of protest against the de Blasio administration. Similarly, hundreds of officers turned their backs on de Blasio at the funerals of the two murdered officers.

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NYC Speeding Tickets Soar After Limit Lowered to 25 mph

As reported by the NY Post, the NYPD has chosen to crack down on speeders following the city’s lowering its speed limit from 30 mph to 25.

The reduced speed limit took effect on November 7 of this year and drivers have been bombarded with tickets ever since that date. Immediately following the switch officers issued a whopping 3,772 tickets between November 5 and November 12, 2014—more than double the number of tickets from the same period last year!

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New York Ranks as Third Worst State for Speeding Tickets

New York State, famous for everything from Broadway to Buffalo wings, now has another claim to fame: Popular Mechanics has named New York the third worst state in the U.S. to get a speeding ticket in.

A quick look at the fines associated with speeding tickets will help highlight why NY ranks so high on this list.

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Nassau County Group Protesting School Zone Speed Cameras

Long Island’s school zone camera program has had its fair share of controversy but now, as CBS News New York reports, Nassau County residents are taking to the streets in protest.

NYC Speeding Camera
A New York speeding camera, similar to the ones causing controversy in Nassau County. (Photo Source: SILive.com)

While government officials argue that these speed cameras are all about child and pedestrian safety, the citizen-organized group “Residents Opposing School Zone Speed Cameras” contends that the $80 tickets are nothing more than a revenue-generating scheme for the cash-strapped County.

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Staten Island Speeding Tickets Nearly Double in 2014

According to a recent article, NYPD traffic data shows that there have been 4,756 speeding summonses issued in the borough of Staten Island through September of this year.  This is compared with 2,412 summonses issued through the first nine months of 2013, a 97% increase!

As the article mentions, “tickets issued for disobeying street signage in 2014 are also forecast to climb about 50% in Staten Island as well.”

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2013 NYC Pedestrian and Cyclist Injuries Highest in 5 Years

According to a report by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, more pedestrians and cyclists were injured in New York City last year than in the previous five years. The stats reveal that total traffic injuries increased by about 2% from 2012 to 2013, with pedestrians and cyclists bearing the brunt of it. Pedestrian injuries were up 5% and cyclist injuries rose an alarming 8%!

Sadly, children accounted for many of the injuries as NYC drivers injured 4,278 children aged 13 and under—8 of whom were killed. In fact, motor vehicle crashes have consistently been the leading cause of death due to injury for children within the 5 boroughs.

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Amherst, Tonawanda, and Cheektowaga Cashing in on NY Speeding Tickets

New York State data on the amount of money collected in traffic fines reveals that certain local communities have received significantly more fines than others.

For instance, the area receiving the least amount of revenue was Grand Island, which got only $166,000 in fines. Similarly, in the town of Lancaster, last year’s fine revenue totaled $231,000.

Amherst, NY police car
An Amherst, NY police car. Police in Amherst generated over $1.4 million in revenue in 2013 from traffic tickets. (Photo Source: Wikipedia)

Clarence received $500,000 worth of revenue for traffic infractions within its borders and the town of Hamburg took in $550,000.

However, Cheektowaga has a stretch of road that notoriously gives out the most speeding tickets in all of New York State.

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New York State’s Top 10 Speed Traps

Police car hiding in a speed trap.
A police car hiding behind some trees to catch speeding vehicles. Here are the top 10 locations for such speed traps in New York. (Photo Source: Wikipedia)

We see it all the time, New York police officers lurking on the side of the road waiting for your vehicle to pass at the exact moment the 65 MPH zone drops to 45 MPH. Of course, these speed traps – and their enforcement – are much more common in some areas than others.

A new analysis of state ticketing data shows that these are the top 10 speed trap locations in New York State:

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Speeding Enforcement up for Canandaigua and Ontario County

In recent months, New York State police officers have ramped up their pre-emptive approach to reducing speed-related crashes and improving safe travel for drivers and passengers.

Ontario County, NY
Ontario County, NY, where speeding enforcement is expected to double between 2013 and 2014. (Photo Source: Wikipedia)

In the city of Canandaigua, 599 speeding tickets were given out on North Main Street in 2013 by city police officers. According to Sgt. Scott Kadien, that number is set to double this year. 722 tickets had already been issued as of July 31, 2014.

During Speed Week—and throughout the year—officers like State Trooper Greg Beaver are cruising the highways and logging an average of 100 miles per day. That time is above and beyond the time taken to respond to Ontario County 911 Center dispatches and working ongoing investigations.

Troop E covers all the counties in the Finger Lakes region, and is divided into three zones:

  • Rochester
  • Canandaigua
  • Geneseo

The Canandaigua station covers all of Ontario County, and is where Trooper Beaver is based.

He explained, “We try to reduce speeding which will in turn reduce serious accidents … and we enforce all traffic laws and any unsafe acts, such as cell phone use, seatbelt use[,] and the move over law.”

The trooper continued, “Ever since high school I’ve always respected police and always thought it would be a fun job and career … It’s a rewarding job because you’re helping people, helping ensure that the roads and highways of our state are safe.”

In the midst of this lies the harsh reality that cities like Canandaigua are raking in your hard earned money for every traffic ticket conviction and guilty plea they receive.

As we all know too well, not every ticket that you receive is deserved and not every officer issuing them is doing so in the nicest fashion.

With a few weekends left before summer is officially over, make sure you are on the lookout for police officers during any road trips through New York State. After all, state troopers will certainly be looking for you.

If you recently received a NY speeding ticket, contact Rosenblum Law today at 888-434-0406.