Over the past several weeks, as a result of the growing tension between the NYPD and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, members of the NYPD have refused to enforce “quality-of-life” crimes, including loitering, public urination, solicitation, and subway-fare jumping. With the NYPD ignoring the Broken Windows campaign, the number of arrests has dropped dramatically, and with it, the amount of revenue that is usually generated by the imposition of fines and surcharges in the courts.
Although, perhaps the opposite should be true, if the police are not spending their time with the small quality-of-life offenses, then we may not need as many police officers or the ones we have don’t need overtime. As a system, the cost (in man-hours, legal services, and incarceration) of all of the quality-of-life offenses, which are more likely to be committed by individuals that are appointed an attorney, is probably higher than the income generated from the fines and surcharges imposed by the courts.
So ultimately, the City might save money by not arresting low-level offenders, if it reduces the amount of money necessary to pay to the services required when an individual is arrested.
When facing criminal charges in New York State, hiring a knowledgeable attorney is crucial to help build your case. Among the qualities of a criminal defense attorney is a connection with the local legal community. A local attorney knows the police officers, prosecutors, clerks, and judges, understands how they think, knows how the courtroom operates, and has valuable inside knowledge on how to handle your case.
According to statistics from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, there were 274,592 total adult arrests statewide in 2021. Facing criminal charges in New York State can be a scary and overwhelming experience.
Every day, drivers in our state are arrested for drunk driving. While not all of these drivers will be convicted, many of them will see some form of penalty. In 2021, there were 21,529 people who were issued tickets for driving while intoxicated (DWI) in the state of New York, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Facing any kind of drunk driving charges in New York is a very serious matter and one that should be handled by a professional.
