Desk appearance tickets are given to suspects of misdemeanor in NYC. This is a substitute for putting them through the system by booking them and holding the in jail before the arraignment. The ticket tells the person when to come to court to appear before a judge, so you can leave and come back at the designated court time.

Anyone who is arrested for a misdemeanor or a class E felony in New York (NY) is eligible for a Desk Appearance Ticket. Those who are arrested for class E felonies, however are rarely issued a ticket. Most police officers don’t even know that it is legal to issue a DAT for a class E felony; it is legal, but most of the time the police choose not to offer it and hold the suspect until arraignment instead.

Desk appearance tickets are not given out as often as they used to be in NYC. A long time ago, they were almost always given out for misdemeanors, but now they are more difficult to come by. Certain types of offenses are completely excluded from being issued DATs and the police will often make the qualifications for one very difficult. For example, charges for a misdemeanor that constitute a violent offense are usually not given consideration for a DAT.

When you get a Desk Appearance ticket, you have already been arrested. The ticket gives you the responsibility to appear before a judge for your arraignment. Some people think that if you are given a DAT that you don’t need to bring a New York City criminal defense lawyer. That is not true. Any New York (NY) criminal offense requires a New York (NY) criminal defense. Cases that involve DATs are usually less serious than other charges, however they still can lead to fines, jail time and a permanent criminal record. Also, because the punishments are not as strict, most of these cases go to trial in order to deter future offenses. If you have been charged with a misdemeanor, you don’t even want to spend one day in jail. That is reason enough to get the best criminal defense lawyer you can find in NY.