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District Attorney outlines traffic diversion proposal and $600,000 domestic‑violence grant
Summary
The Cayuga County district attorney described a proposed traffic-diversion program to supplement the existing online traffic-reduction course and announced selection for a DCJS grant to fund a prosecutor dedicated to intimate‑partner violence cases.
Cayuga County’s District Attorney updated the Public Safety Committee on two initiatives the office plans to advance: a traffic-diversion option for certain traffic infractions and participation in a Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) intimate-partner-violence initiative that could bring roughly $600,000 to the county.
The DA said the county currently resolves roughly 99% of traffic tickets through an online reduction program that offers an automated plea bargain and significantly reduces court time. Because courts can no longer suspend licenses for failure to pay fines and surcharges, the DA told the committee he is proposing to pair the existing reduction option with a diversion program in which eligible motorists could pay a higher fine and take a safety course in exchange for dismissal of the ticket. He said the diversion option would provide a choice for people unable to afford rising reduction‑program prices while also restoring more immediate revenue to the courts and county; he estimated, conservatively, the change could bring close to $100,000 to the county but said finance and treasurer staff would need to formalize distribution to towns and villages.
Separately, the DA reported Cayuga County was one of 20 upstate counties selected for a DCJS “targeted reductions in intimate violence” initiative. He said the grant would reimburse costs and could fully cover the salary and fringe for a prosecutor assigned full time to intimate‑partner‑violence and related special‑victim caseloads (child abuse and certain sex offenses). The DA described the program as similar to the county’s existing GIVE initiative and listed Auburn Police Department, Community Action Program (CAP), the sheriff’s office and probation as local partners. He added that the county’s prior success with GIVE was a factor in receiving this selection.
Committee members asked for county-specific data because statewide DCJS statistics shown in the DA’s presentation were heavily weighted by larger jurisdictions. The DA said he would attempt to produce a “thumbnail” summary of Cayuga County data for the next public-safety meeting.
The DA said he plans to bring a resolution to the committee to implement the diversion option in the coming months and to work with finance on revenue splits and program rules.
