Staten Island Appearance Ticket Attorney

Appearance Ticket Lawyer in Staten Island, NY

In New York City, there are three processes by which people are charged with a crime through the criminal justice system: a summons, a desk appearance ticket, and a full arrest. All three of these processes result in a person being charged with a crime (you are able to plead guilty or not guilty), and all of them require an appearance in front of a court. You want experienced legal representation like The Law Office of Tracy & Tracy representing you in court for your summons or desk appearance ticket defense.

NYC Summons Defense Attorney

When a police officer issues you a summons, you’re not arrested, fingerprinted, or processed – an officer hands you a summons slip, similar to a traffic ticket, and you’re directed to appear in Criminal Court on a particular date. While the charges associated with summonses are less serious than D.A.T.s or full arrests, you can end up with a criminal record if you ignore your summons or don’t take it seriously, showing up unprepared to court. Charges associated with summonses are things like public urination, drinking in public, and trespassing on park property after dark.

An experienced defense attorney can help you fight a summons, avoiding a criminal record for small crimes like these. Get in touch with The Law Office of Tracy & Tracy for a free consultation here.

NYC Desk Appearance Ticket Defense Attorney

When you’re issued a desk appearance ticket (D.A.T.), you’re arrested by the police and taken into the station for fingerprinting and processing. The police can then decide whether or not to hold you overnight for your arraignment, or to release you with a D.A.T.

What is an arraignment? Arraignment is the first step in the court system, when the judge reads your charges and allows you to enter your plea (guilty, not guilty, etc).

The D.A.T. is a slip of paper outlining your charges and a return date for your court appearance where you’ll be arraigned. Failure to appear at this court date is serious – it will result in a bench warrant for your arrest. When given a D.A.T., you want to be in touch with an experienced attorney as soon as possible to ensure that they can build the most robust defense in time for your arraignment.

What Is a Desk Appearance Ticket in NYC?

Click below for our in-depth guide to what you need to know if you or a loved one has been issued a desk appearance ticket in New York City.

Read More