Plea Bargaining Tickets from State Troopers

CHANGE IN TICKET POLICY SOUGHT:

State troopers would be allowed to ignore a mandate from their bosses and continue the practice of plea bargaining traffic tickets in court under legislation introduced this week.

The legislation came as pointed reaction to a new State Police policy prohibiting troopers from reducing traffic tickets after Sept. 1.

It also came in response to widespread outrage from statewide prosecutors, county officials and troopers over the decision by State Police brass to end the decades-long plea-bargaining process.
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In March, State Police brass issued a decree that, after Sept. 1, troopers would no longer appear in court to plea bargain traffic tickets they issued, for example, reducing a Northway speeding infraction to less onerous charges, such as not wearing a seat belt.

Instead, any deals to be cut would be done through the local district attorney's office, according to the policy shift.

State Police Chief Counsel Glenn Valle argued the agency has always had a policy against troopers plea bargaining cases but it hasn't been enforced. He also called the plea-bargaining practice unethical, given that ticketed motorists end up having to strike deals with their accusers.

DeFedericis said the State Police's motive was to reduce overtime costs for troopers to appear in court.

"That is the State Police's clear agenda, even though they refuse to admit it," he said.

District attorneys across the state have said they don't have the manpower to take on the additional caseload, and the State Association of Counties slammed the State Police policy as an unfunded mandate.