Traffic Enforcement

Interstate 87 (the Northway) runs through the whole north-south length of the Town of Plattsburgh. Enforcement on I-87 is almost exclusively handled by officers from "Troop B" of the NYS Police. The speed limit along most of I-87 is 65 mph, however it drops to 55 mph in parts of the Town of Plattsburgh.  There are also numerous "work zones" where speed limits are lower and fines are doubled.  Almost all speeding tickets are written for speeds more than 10 mph over the limit. Stationary radar and laser speed detection are widely used. Traffic law enforcement along all of the other roads in the Town of Plattsburgh is largely done by a combination of the NYS Police, Clinton County Sheriffs and local town police officers.  Plattsburgh is home to the SUNY Plattsburgh campus, is a busy crossing site (ferry) to Vermont and has a large shopping plaza district frequently visited by Quebecois.  It is also on the shores of Lake Champlain and is a busy summer vacation area.

Traffic Court

Both 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, the Clinton County District Attorney's office prosecutes all tickets written by the NYS police. 95% of state police tickets are adjudicated through plea bargains with the DA's office.  Plattsburgh Town Court is one of the busiest traffic courts in NYS with more than $1M in annual traffic ticket fines and surcharges assessed.

Local police officers sometimes 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 1-2 hours. Attorneys are permitted to appear without their clients being present for traffic court.