Wappingers Falls Village Court
(Wappingers Falls Justice Court)
Dutchess County, New York
Hours of Operation:
Address:
2582 South Avenue
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
United States
Phone:
845-297-6777
Fax:
845-298-6057
GENERAL TRAFFIC TICKET AND CRIMINAL COURT INFORMATION
Wappingers Falls, (formally the Village of Wappingers Falls), is a village in Dutchess County, New York. Wappingers Falls Justice Court has preliminary jurisdiction over all criminal and traffic related cases arising out of incidents occurring in the Village of Wappingers Falls. Such cases are on the Court’s Tuesday and Thursday calendars. The Justice Court has trial jurisdiction over all cases if the jail term that can be imposed does not exceed one year. The office of the Dutchess County District Attorney prosecutes criminal cases.
Cases charging the commission of a traffic infraction are filed in the Wappingers Falls Village Court if the alleged offense took place in the Village’s jurisdiction. A plea of “not guilty” is required to be timely filed with the court either by the motorist or their attorney. There are basically two choices: a plea of “not guilty” which allows a defense to be presented in the case, versus, a plea of “guilty” which locks in a conviction of the offense “as charged” which closes the door on a negotiated resolution or trial.
In New York, an attorney may go to court on a motorist’s behalf without the motorist having to personally appear. The attorney may be able to negotiate a resolution for the motorist or set the matter down for a future trial date where the police officer is required to appear to testify and the defense puts on their case as well. On traffic infractions, trials are held before a judge or “bench”; not a jury.
In addition to fines and sur-charges imposed by the court, convictions for speeding tickets and other moving violations can create other problems for motorists, such as, increased insurance premiums and a New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Driver’s Responsibility Assessment – additional fines or assessments owed directly to DMV based upon a motorist’s point accumulation. Additionally, eleven (11) points accumulated with eighteen (18) months will result in a license suspension or revocation depending upon one’s record of conviction. See Point Chart below:
NUMBER OF POINTS ASSIGNED BY DMV FOR COMMON TRAFFIC OFFENSES
License Violation Points
| VIOLATION |
POINTS |
| Speeding (MPH over posted limit) | |
|
1 to 10 |
3 |
|
11 to 20 |
4 |
|
21 to 30 |
6 |
|
31 to 40 |
8 |
|
Over 40 |
11 |
| Reckless driving |
5 |
| Failed to stop for school bus |
5 |
| Followed too closely (tailgating) |
4 |
| Inadequate brakes (private car) |
4 |
| Inadequate Brakes (employer’s vehicle) |
2 |
| Failed to yield right-of-way |
3 |
| Disobeying traffic control signal, STOP sign or YIELD sign |
3 |
| Railroad crossing violation |
5 |
| Improper passing, changing lane unsafely |
3 |
| Driving left of center, in wrong direction |
3 |
| Leaving scene of property damage incident |
3 |
| Child safety restraint violation |
3 |
| Improper cell phone use |
5 |
| Use of portable electronic device (“texting”) |
5 |
| Any other moving violation |
2 |