Bureau Will Increase Public Safety and Raise Revenue

Hauppauge, LI—Tuesday, March 27: Legislator Rob Calarco took the first step towards fulfilling a campaign promise Tuesday night when his bill to establish a Suffolk County Traffic Violations Bureau (SC TVB) was passed unanimously at the General Meeting of the Legislature. Presently, traffic violations issued within the Suffolk County Police District are prosecuted by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles. The result is a loss of local control of the process, increased overtime costs for Police Officers to attend DMV hearings, as well as all ticket revenue being sent to New York State. The new SC TVB, similar to the Nassau County model, will make the process easier for local residents, reduce the need for police overtime and help generate revenue to address the County’s budget gap.

“Why should fines for tickets issued by Suffolk County Police Officers in Suffolk County be sent to Albany? This is just another example of how Suffolk dollars are being siphoned away from the needs of Suffolk residents,” stated Leg. Calarco. “By taking local control of the process, we can ensure that those dollars are kept locally to help provide for public safety,” added Leg. Calarco.

The bill, Home Rule Message 10, requests the New York Legislature to amend the General Municipal Law, the Vehicle and Traffic Law and the Criminal Procedure Law, in order for the County to establish a Traffic Violations Bureau.