Clarkstown, NY Town Court
Title: Town of Clarkstown Justice Court
County: Rockland
Address: 20 Maple Avenue, New City, NY 10956-5099
Phone:
(845) 639-5960/5970
Fax: (845) 639-5910
Court Calendar: Monday thru Friday
Traffic Tickets: Prosecuted by
Special Town Prosecutor (State Police) or local officers.
Criminal Prosecutions: Rockland County District Attorney's Office
Judges:Scott B. Ugell, Craig E. Johns, Howard Gerber,
Rolf M. Thorsen
Traffic Enforcement
The Palisades Parkway runs the whole length of the Town of Clarkstown. Enforcement on the Palisades Parkway is
exclusively handled by officers from "Troop F" of the NYS Police. The speed limit along the Parkway is mostly 55 mph, however there
are frequent "workzone" established where speed limits will be less than 55 mph. Almost all speeding tickets are written for speeds
more than 10 mph over the limit. Stationary radar and laser speed detection are widely used. The wide and often wooded median creates
numerous opportunities for radar or laser speed traps that cannot be detected in advance. Traffic law enforcement along all of the
other roads in the Town of Clarkstown is almost exclusively done by local town police officers.
Traffic Court
Clarkstown
traffic court is very active with all four town justices have "traffic calendars" which are devoted to adjudicating traffic tickets.
The NYS Police are prohibited from negotiating plea bargains on traffic violations. As a result, a special town prosecutor has been
appointed to deal with tickets written by the NYS police. 95% of state police tickets are adjudicated through plea bargains with the
special prosecutor. The Town Prosecutor and both judges are reasonable about plea bargains as long as the speed was not more than
25 mph over the limit. Local police officers may prosecute their own tickets, though the special prosecutor may substitute for them.
Again, most tickets are resolved through plea bargains. Traffic court sessions can last several hours. Attorneys are permitted
to appear without their clients being present for traffic court.
For more information about speeding and other traffic offenses,click here
To read some Frequently Asked Traffic Law questions, click here.
For information about having the Law Office
of Glenn Magnell defend your speeding ticket or DWI charge, click here.
Criminal Law Enforcement and Prosecutions
Clarkstown
Town Court has one of the busiest local court criminal calendars in NYS. All criminal prosecutions are handled by the Rockland County
District Attorney's Office. The DA's office takes a very hard line on DWI prosecutions. In 2009 there were more than 1200 alcohol
related driving arrests impaired or intoxicated driving (DWI, DWAI, DWAI-D) in Rockland County. Both the NYS Police and the Clarkstown
Town Police made numerous arrests. Most arrests occurred after dark with many taking place after midnight. Police officers assume
that many driver's who are out after midnight have consumed alcohol and or drugs. As a result they are looking for any lawful reason
to pull drivers over in order to investigate possible DWI incidents. Alcohol checkpoints were established several times by the a combined
task force of NYS Police and Clarkstown police. DWI and drug possession enforcement can be very intense on evenings when a rock concert
is scheduled for Clarkstown Woods Performing Arts Center. All of these offenses are "criminal" violations of the law and, as a result
are prosecuted by the Rockland County District Attorney's office.
Other typical criminal cases heard in Clarkstown Town Court are
petty larceny, assault, harrassment and drug possession. Misdemeanors remain the jurisdiction of the town court, while felonies are
transferred to the Rockland County Court if there is a felony indictment by the Grand Jury.
For more information about DWI, click
here.
To read some Frequently Asked Questions about DWI, click here.
For information about having the Law Office of Glenn
Magnell represent you on your ticket or DWI charge,, click here
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Please note: Information on this website is intended to inform, not to advise. No one should attempt to interpret or apply any law without the assistance of an attorney that is familiar with that area of law, the rules of the court involved and the specific facts of each individual case.
NOTICE: In compliance with the New York State Attorney's Code of Professional Conduct this website and all information contained within should be considered ATTORNEY ADVERTISING.
Law Offices of Glenn W. Magnell
Defense Attorneys for Criminal, DWI, DUI & Traffic Offenses
Phone: 845-294-0585 Fax:
888-724-5470
Email: gmagnell@stormkinglaw.com
No Cost, No Obligation Consultation on all cases