New York Judges Acquit More Often than Juries

August 11, 2011

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal this week, cases brought before judges are more likely to end in a “not guilty” verdict than those heard by juries. The decision to opt for a jury trial is one made by the defendant in a case and is not made hastily. The factors that go into [...]

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DWI Charge Indirectly Causes Injury To Police Officer

August 4, 2011

There is a strange story in the Buffalo News about a DWI offense where an officer responding to the incident was very seriously injured while en-route. The Niagara County DA is quoted after extensive legal research, he is unable to charge the defendant with additional offenses related to this accident.

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Buffalo Officials Defend Their Surveillance Camera Arsenal

July 26, 2011

The city of Buffalo has 125 surveillance cameras on its street corners and public areas. This is up from 60 just a few years ago. They want more and are consistently talking about how great the cameras are in an effort to gain support, and potential funding.

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Brooklyn Man Wrongfully Accused and Jailed on Robbery Charges

July 5, 2011

A 26-year old man is now free to return home after serving seven months on Riker’s Island for a crime he didn’t commit. He was held because witnesses picked him out of a line-up, despite his alibi and no physical evidence linking him to a crime. Though his jail stint is evidence of a serious [...]

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Proposed Bill Would Increase NY Domestic Violence Penalties

June 13, 2011

Under current state law, you can hit your spouse or partner and only be charged with a misdemeanor—no matter how many times you do it. But if Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, other lawmakers, and domestic violence advocates get their way, you could face a much tougher penalty the second time around.

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Longer Delays Coming to NY Courts

May 19, 2011

Waiting for trial? You can expect to wait even longer now that the state courts are losing a significant amount of funding. Cutbacks of astronomical proportions will delay just about everything in the New York court systems but just how some of the effects will be felt remains to be seen.

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NYPD Investigation Into Ticket Fixing

April 21, 2011

When your brother or husband is a cop, should you get preferred treatment when it comes to speeding tickets? What about if you’re an important community member or official? Well, the practice of trashing tickets or “ticket fixing” has been around for ages and was long seen as a professional courtesy, sort of a favor [...]

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2,000 Arrests Since Choking Became Crime

April 14, 2011

Choking first became a separate criminal offense just fifteen weeks ago. And in just those few short months, New York police have made over 2,000 arrests for the new offense. Acting commissioner for the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services calls the number “absolutely unprecedented and staggering” according to Reuters.

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In NY, Leandra’s Law Is “Working”

March 24, 2011

Eleven year old Leandra Rosado was on her way to a slumber party, riding in a vehicle with 7 little girls and one mother. The mother later found to have been driving intoxicated, lost control of the speeding vehicle, flipping it and killing Leandra. It was her, this eleven year old victim, which the relatively [...]

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Nassau County Crime Lab Locked Up

February 23, 2011

Following testimony from a lab supervisor indicating knowledge of evidence handling problems years ago, the Nassau County forensics facility has been shut down. District Attorney Kathleen Rice states she was having trouble justifying leaving the lab open, “If my faith is shaken, that’s it.”

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