DA: bus‑camera tickets in county likely handled as civil enforcement; legal review, piggyback options requested

The Columbia County Public Safety Committee on Jan. 20 heard that bus‑camera citations captured by vehicle cameras are generally treated as civil enforcement rather than criminal offenses and that the district attorney’s office may not have jurisdiction to prosecute them as crimes.

A county prosecutor explained: “My understanding of the legality is just that you can't charge, a violation or a crime for a camera ticket because you can't have a there's no witness to say who's operating the vehicle.” Committee members asked whether civil fines issued to registered owners would be effective, and staff confirmed civil enforcement can pursue the vehicle owner but may lack some enforcement tools available for Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) penalties.

Officials described the existing online plea system and QR‑code option that lets people accept negotiated offers without appearing in court. The DA's office said that if a defendant pleads not guilty and a town lacks an assigned prosecutor, the court clerk can request DA office involvement; the DA then subpoenas law‑enforcement witnesses for bench trials when necessary.

Committee members asked the county attorney to research whether the county can piggyback on programs in neighboring counties (Dutchess, Rensselaer) that operate bus‑patrol or camera enforcement, and to convene a follow‑up meeting with the DA's office and affected towns to clarify legal authority and costs. Members noted that Albany operates a civil operator‑fee system for camera enforcement and that civil judgments have mixed collection efficacy but can recover some revenue when pursued through county civil‑judgment mechanisms.

The committee agreed to place the issue on a future calendar and invite counsel for deeper legal research.