When the conviction is filed, you may have the chance to take an “impaired driver’s program” (or IDP) class. This class will allow you to get a “conditional license” for the duration of your suspension or revocation. Then, when the suspension or revocation period is over, you can apply for your full license privileges again.

A conditional license is similar to a hardship license, but it has more freedom. You can drive to and from medical appointments, child daycare or school, and some free time once a week. BUT… you may not qualify for the IDP program. Here are the things that can disqualify you:

1. You don’t have a valid New York State driver’s license to start with. (That is, you live out of state or don’t have legal status in this country.)
2. You already took the program when you had a DWI or DWAI conviction in the past five year. (The IDP program can only be taken ONCE every five years.)

NOTE: If you refused to take a breath test, you may be found guilty of refusal by the DMV, and your license will be suspended for one year, plus the imposition of a civil fine by the DMV. However, this refusal conviction will not prevent you from getting a conditional license IF the case terminates in a conviction. It’s only if the case resolves in your favor, and there is no conviction, that the DMV’s suspension stays in effect, and you can’t apply for a conditional license.

The lesson? If you need to drive, don’t drink and drive at all. If you get caught drinking and driving, don’t refuse to blow into the breath device. And if you refuse, make sure your case ends in an alcohol conviction – so that you can get your conditional license and start driving again.

¿Tienes un ticket viejo? La sobretarifa de suspensión que tenías que pagar a la corte antes fue de $35. Si no estás seguro de cuánto debes pagar para levantar tu(s) suspensión(es), solo llama a la corte. Si la suspensión se impuso antes del 6 de julio de 2009, la tarifa de elevación es de $35 por boleto. Si la suspensión se impuso después del 6 de julio de 2009, la tarifa de restauración será de $ 70 por boleto.

Vieja tarifa de suspensión: $35 por ticket
Nueva tarifa de suspensión (a partir del 6 de julio de 2012): $70 por ticket

Have an old ticket? The suspension lift fee that you had to pay to the court was $35. If you’re not sure how much you need to pay to lift your suspension(s), just call the court. If the suspension was imposed before July 6, 2009, then the lift fee is $35 per ticket. If the suspension was imposed after July 6, 2009, the lift fee will be $70 per ticket.

Old suspension lift fee: $35 per ticket
New suspension lift fee (as of July 6, 2012): $70 per ticket

If you are an undocumented immigrant going to Newburgh City Court, you should keep in mind that local ICE agents are targeting criminal defendants for detention. They often hang around the court parking lot, sitting in their cars, waiting for the right person to come to court. This means that, if you don’t have your papers and have been accused of a crime, ICE agents may be waiting for you in the parking lot of this building. Even if you have not been convicted of a crime… even if the charges are not serious, such as a drunk driving offense, or domestic violence.. even if you have a clean criminal record and have been in this country for many years… if you have been charged with ANY criminal offense and do not have legal status (or worse, you have had prior contact with immigration or a prior deportation order), STOP and call me for a free consultation. I will be glad to discuss your options with you.

TIP #1: Minimize your Cooperation with Police

When you’ve been pulled over for suspected drunk driving, remember that (1) you are being investigated for a serious crime, (2) anything you say and do WILL be used against you, and (3) the investigating officer is NOT your friend. So, forget about trying to be the police officer’s friend – you can do that on another occasion, when you are not the target of an investigation.

• TALK AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. Remember, the police officer is trying to gather evidence to use against you. The less you say, the better off you are. You also will smell less of alcohol if you are not talking.
• DON’T CONFESS that you’ve been drinking! Just say that you are sorry but that you are not going to give a statement. Period. Try not to talk at all, actually, because the arresting officer is just going to say that your speech was slurred and your breath smelled like alcohol. If you can, just keep your mouth closed and say nothing. What you don’t say can’t hurt you.

Tip #2: Have Your Car Documents in Order

• YOU CAR SHOULD ALWAYS BE PROPERLY REGISTERED, INSPECTED, AND INSURED. Obviously, you can avoid an initial stop if you are not driving a beat-up car with no insurance and a suspended registration.
• HAVE YOUR DOCUMENTS READY. You can do this beforehand. Why not have your registration and insurance cards in a place that they are easy to find? When you get pulled over, you don’t need to be drawing attention to yourself as you fumble around your glove compartment looking for your documents.

Tip#3: Don’t Take any Field Sobriety Tests

FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS ARE NOT MANDATORY, AND YOU WILL NEVER PASS THEM. Unlike the breath screening test, the field sobriety tests (standing on one leg, reciting the alphabet, looking at the pen) are not mandatory under New York State law, although the police officer may try to scare you into taking them. Just shake your head and refuse to take them. I’ve never seen anybody pass these tests, and again, they are not being used to see if you are sober. They are just being used to give the police officers more reason to arrest you and show how drunk you were. Be nice, but refuse the tests. The less evidence the police officer has to use against you, the better.

Tip #4: Take the Breath Test

TAKE THE BREATH TEST. This one you don’t have a choice about. There will be two breath tests given to you, one at the scene of the arrest (the screening test) and one at the police station after your arrest (the blood alcohol content test.) You really do have to take these, because under New York State law, your license will be automatically suspended for a year if you refuse to take the test. The only reason to refuse to take this test would be if you were very drunk and you are sure that your breath alcohol content (BAC) is going to be super high, and you don’t mind losing your license for a year. If that’s not the case, then you should take the breath test.

Tip #5: Be Nice

BEING NICE IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. There is no reason to be disrespectful or rude. Just stick to your guns and refuse to give a statement and refuse to take the field tests.

Tip #6: Tell the Police you Don’t Want to Answer Any Questions and Say You Want to Speak to an Attorney

THE FIFTH AMENDMENT AND MIRANDA. Under our federal and state constitutions, you are not required to confess to a crime or testify against yourself. (Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution) Additionally, per
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966) and New York caselaw, once a defendant has told the police officers that (1) he wants a lawyer, or (2) that he wants to remain silent, the POLICE QUESTIONING MUST STOP. Any statements obtained by the police after you have invoked your right to counsel or your right to remain silent will be suppressed and cannot be used by the prosecution against you. People v. Wilson, 28 NY3d 67 (2016).2

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. If you’ve been arrested for DWI, you should consult a criminal defense attorney, like me, to see what your options are.

Unfortunately, this is not how the system works. If you plead guilty to your traffic tickets by mail, then there will be no need for a court appearance, and you will get your fine notice in the mail. If you plead “not guilty” to the tickets, then you will get a notice of conference date in the mail. Notice that the court date is for a “pre-trial conference,” not for a trial. When you go to the pre-trial conference, you will be given an opportunity to plead guilty to a lesser charge. So, if you’ve been given a speeding ticket, and the speed is not too high, and your driving record is not too awful, then you will typically be offered a parking ticket or another low-points violation, like “disobeying a traffic control device” aka crossing a white line. This is what happens whether you decide to hire a lawyer or if you show up by yourself.

It’s not hard to get a great result if you have a clean driving record and were just going 2 miles over the speed limit. However, the problems arise when you get multiple tickets, or your license was suspended, or you were going much too fast, or you have gotten many points over the past 18 months. In these situations, it’s helpful to take some additional steps in order to show the court and the prosecutor that you are taking the charges seriously.

Tips for getting great results on your traffic tickets:

• Try not to get too many tickets. It’s always easier to get a reduced plea offer if your driver history has been clean for 18 months or longer.
• Have a CDL, or be a government employee of some kind. Yep, courts and prosecutors like to favor commercial drivers and government employees. If you are either of these, make sure the court and prosecutor know about it.
• Take a defensive driving class (either online or in person) before the pre-trial conference. Yes, you can do this. As you know, this class will remove up to four points from your New York State drivers’ history, and it even works on points gained after you take the class (up to six months). Taking the class before the court date shows that court that you are taking the charges seriously and that you have spent time and money getting ready for court. Yes, it helps. A list of reputable defensive driving schools is included below.
• Do some community service work. What? Work for free in order to impress the court and the prosecutor? Yes, work for free in order to impress the court and the prosecutor! When you are facing really tough charges, then you can go to your local church, animal shelter, or food pantry and do 10-20 hours of community service before you go to court. The fact is that very few people do this, and if you do it, you will really stand out as somebody who is taking things seriously. A list of community service providers in the Orange County NY area is attached here.

All of these steps are things that you can do by yourself or in conjunction with an attorney that you hire. If you need any further assistance with your case, please feel free to call Steve Cobb, Esq., for a free consultation and kindly words of encouragement: Tel: (845) 247-5464.

Defensive Driving Classes in Orange County, NY

• Reduces up to 4 points from your license.
• Reduces insurance by 10%.
• No New York license is needed.

INTERNET CLASSES

I Drive Safely http://www.idrivesafely.com  $24.99 for four hours (English only)

New York Safety Council http://www.newyorksafetycouncil.com $24.99 for four hours (English and Spanish)

IN PERSON CLASSES

Louie’s Auto Driving School
153 Temple Hill Road
Suite # 3
New Windsor NY 12553
845-569-0023
http://www.louiesautoschool.com

¿CUÁNTO ALCOHOL ES DEMASIADO?

El nivel de alcohól ilegal es el .08% de concentración de alcohol en la sangre. ¿Cuánto es el .08%? Para un hombre “normal” de 180 libras y 5’ 10” de altura, el .08% se alcanza con cuatro cervezas dentro de una hora. Si tomas más – o pesas menos – el nivel será más alto. Por lo tanto, no necesitas tomar mucho para alcanzar y superar el nivel de alcohol prohibido en este estado.

¿CUÁLES PASOS PUEDO TOMAR PARA MEJORAR LOS CARGOS O EVITAR PROBLEMAS COMÚNES?

• MANEJA UN CARRO QUE TENGA SEGURO Y REGISTRACIÓN VIGENTE. Esto parece obvio, pero hay muchos que manejan carros prestados que no tienen seguro vigente, o inspección corriente, o peor, con algun documento falsificado. Si vas a manejar después de tomar, por lo menos maneja un carro que tenga sus documentos en orden.

• NO DISCUTAS CON EL POLICIA QUE TE PARÓ. Otra vez, debería ser obvio, pero más te vale cerrar la boca y ser amable que tratar de discutir con los policias. Sí, es posible que el policia te paró porque es racista y solo te está buscando problemas sin razón, pero el discutir no te va a ayudar, y no va a mejorar la actitud del policia. Sea amable y cooperativo, pero no hables demasiado. Esto me lleva al tercer punto:

• HABLA TAN POCO COMO SEA POSIBLE. Recuerda, el policía está tratando de reunir pruebas para usar en tu contra. Cuanto menos digas, mejor estarás. También no olerás tanto de alcohol si no estás hablando.

• NO CONFESES. Tan pronto como te detengan, el policía te preguntará si has estado bebiendo. ¿Por qué te está preguntando esto? ¿Para ayudarlo a conocerte y ser tu amigo? Claro que no. Él (o ella) solo está buscando pruebas para usar en tu contra. ¡NO CONFESES que ha estado bebiendo alcohol! Tu puedes disculparte y decir que no vas a dar ninguna declaración. Punto. De hecho, el gol es no decirle nada al policía para que el policía no te pueda acusar de conversación ebria o confusa, u oliente de alcohol. Si puedes, mantén la boca cerrada y no digas nada. Lo que no dices no puede hacerte daño.

• NO TE SOMETES A NINGUNA PRUEBA DE SOBRIEDAD DE CALLE. Estas pruebas (pararse en una pierna, recitar el alfabeto, mirar el bolígrafo) no son obligatorias bajo la ley, aunque el policía puede intentar asustarte para que las tomes. Solo sacude tu cabeza y rehúsate tomarlos. Nadie pasa nunca estas pruebas, y una vez más, no se usan para ver si estás sobrio. Sólo se están utilizando para tener más razones para arrestarte y mostrar lo borracho que estabas. Sé amable, pero rechaza las pruebas. Cuanta menos evidencia tenga que usar el oficial de policía contra ti, mejor.

• SÍ, TOMA LA PRUEBA DE RESPIRACION. Aunque bajo la ley no tienes que tomar las pruebas de sobriedad de calle, sí tienes que tomar la prueba de respiro. Bajo la ley del estado de Nueva York, tu licencia será suspendida automáticamente por un año si te rehúsas tomar el examen. (Por lo general, hay dos pruebas, una tomada en el momento de la parada y otra en la estación de policía). La única razón para negarse a tomar esta prueba sería si estaba muy ebrio y está seguro de que su contenido de alcohol en el aliento (BAC) será súper alto y no te importe perder tu licencia por un año. Si ese no es el caso, entonces debería tomar la prueba de aliento.

• DIGA AL OFICIAL QUE QUIERES HABLAR CON UN ABOGADO. Estas son palabras mágicas que te pueden ayudar a evitar más preguntas de los oficiales de policía. Conforme a la ley constitucional del estado de Nueva York, no se le puede seguir cuestionando una vez que hayas solicitado un abogado. Aquí están las palabras: “Quiero hablar con un abogado y no quiero hablar más con ustedes. Quizás quieres ensayar las palabras varias veces para practicar. Pueden ser útiles.

MISSIONS UPDATE

Good news for Venezuelans! God is helping people who were abandoned by their own government.
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/venezuelan-migrants-welcomed-at-samaritans-purse-shelter-in-colombia/

DEPORTATION ATTORNEYS

Jaime Castiblanco, Esq.
315 Broadway, #200
New York, NY 10007
Tel: (212) 693-1139
[email protected]
https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/10007-ny-jaime-castiblanco-926339.html

Jose X. Orochena, Esq.
1180 Ave. of the Americas, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10036
cell: (917) 974-2864
office: (646) 580-9692
[email protected]

Spanish-speaking attorneys in your area

Lista Legal: https://www.listalegal.com/

Listas Locales: https://www.listaslocales.com/newburgh-ny

El Abogado: https://usa.elabogado.com/

¿ICE me va a detener a mí?

Si te han acusado de acciones criminales (es decir, no simplemente tickets de trafico o de infracciones municipales), tu estás a riesgo. Yo hablé con un agente de ICE aquí en the City of Newburgh, y me dijo que están buscando inmigrantes criminales, que llevan cargos criminales. ¿Cuáles con los cargos criminales que pueden llamar la atención de ICE?

Los cargos que pueden llamar la atención de ICE son:

• Cualquier delito que indica “misdemeanor” (delito menor) o “felony” (delito mayor) en los papeles de acusación
• Delitos de posessión de drogas, o la venta de drogas
• Delitos de abuso sexual, violación, pornografía de niños, envíos de videos de sexo de otros sin su consentimiento, etc.
• Casos de manejar tomado
• Casos graves de robo, hurto menor, hurto mayor
• Casos de agresión, agresión con arma, o secuestro

Todos estos casos son “bandera roja” para el toro que es ICE. Si te han acusado de una de estas ofensas, deberían avanzar con mucho cuidado con tu caso.

Otros factores que te ponen a riesgo:

• ¿Tienes contacto previo con inmigración? Si has tenido contacto con inmigración en el pasado, por pequeño que fuera, tu eres de mayor interés para ICE. ¿Fuiste detenido mientras cruzabas la frontera una vez? ¿Te rehustaste presentarte en una corte de inmigración después de recibir una citación para comparecer? ¿Fuiste deportado una vez? Si tu tienes contacto antecedente con ICE o Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza (CBP), especialmente si hubo alguna desobediencia al proceso legal o una orden de comparecencia, tu corres mayor riesgo de una detención de ICE.
• ¿En cuál corte estás? Los tribunales de una Ciudad son más peligrosos que las cortes más chiquitas de los Towns and Villages. Los tribunales de la ciudad tienen una presencia mucho mayor de agentes de ICE, por dos razones: primero, hay más personas que se presentan en las cortes allá, así que hay más peces potenciales en un solo lugar. En segundo lugar, los calendarios de los tribunales de lugares como la Ciudad de Newburgh, la Ciudad de Beacon, la Ciudad de Middletown, la Ciudad de Rochester, etc.) están todos publicados en Webcrims, y el ICE puede revisarlos fácilmente mientras monitorean el calendario de cada corte para posibles objetivos de detención. ICE es mucho menos capaz de monitorear las cortes pequeñas, porque éstas no publican sus calendarios y solo se reúnen una vez por semana o una vez por mes. Si tienes un caso en un tribunal de la ciudad, las posibilidades de detención son mayores.
• ¿Qué tal tu historial criminal?  Obviamente, si tu tienes una larga historia de delitos de derecho penal, serás de mayor interés para ICE.l

De todos modos, la mejor manera de evitar la atención de ICE es evitar ser arrestado y acusado de un delito grave. Esto no es tan dificil: no tomes y manejas, no golpees las personas en tu vida, evita la compra y venta de drogas, etc. Pero si necesitas una opinion acerca de tu situación, por favor no dudes en llamar a nuestra oficina: (845) 247-5464. La consulta es gratis, y con mucho gusto te ofrecemos una opinion experta acerca de tu caso criminal o tu caso de inmigración. Steve Cobb, Esq.