Starting in January, if you get a traffic ticket in the town of Penfield, you won't be dealing with a prosecutor from the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
Instead, your case will be assigned to the Penfield town attorney. The town is taking over prosecution of traffic offenses, something currently handled by the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
"I think it gives the town a little more control, and it'll help the judges get to know repeat offenders, and that'll be helpful," said town Supervisor Jeffrey Leenhouts.
Penfield is not the first municipality in Monroe County to take over prosecution of traffic violations. The city of Rochester and the town of Greece each have their own traffic violations bureau that handles tickets.
But both of those communities have their own police forces. Penfield works with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office on traffic enforcement, which makes it a little unique, Leenhouts said.
The change was recommended by Penfield town justices Paula Metzler and James Mulley Jr., Leenhouts said. And he sees a few benefits.
For starters, the new arrangement will be more efficient, Leenhouts said. It will ensure that Penfield traffic cases "are handled with attention and urgency that our residents want and demand," he added.
Speeding and other traffic infractions are a problem throughout the county and state, Leenhouts said, and Penfield is no exception. And he hopes the change helps the judges hold problem drivers accountable.
"We do get quite a few complaints at times with traffic, speeding, running red lights," Leenhouts said. "And this might help ... the judges get to know the repeat offenders and send more of a message in the town that this isn't something we're going to tolerate."
It will also help lighten the load at the District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors there are overloaded, especially with changes in state law around when and how they have to provide evidence in cases to the defense, Leenhouts said.
"It's really a win-win, I think, all around for our court system, the DA's office, and ultimately, for the residents," Leenhouts said.
