MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace announced Monday that the Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a grant from the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) to study the traffic safety impact of the Sheriff’s Warning Ticket Program.
In 2013, Sheriff Gerace started a Warning Ticket Program to allow deputies the discretion to issue warning tickets for minor traffic offenses. The purpose of the program is to attempt to correct driving behavior without subjecting motorists to fines and other expenses.
The warning ticket program was the first of its kind for a Sheriff’s Office in New York State and was recognized by the New York State Sheriffs’ Association with their “Outstanding Traffic Safety Program Award”. Sheriff Gerace’s warning ticket program has since been duplicated by another Sheriff’s Office in the State and others have requested information about it.
After receiving the NYSSA Award, the program gained the attention of the GTSC. The demonstration grant includes funding for an analysis of the existing data which will study if warning ticket recipients are more or less likely to be stopped again and if they are more or less likely to be involved in traffic accidents.
