[Adopted 6-7-2005 by L.L. No. 17-2005 (Ch. 467, Art. III, of the 1985 Code)]
A. 
This Legislature hereby finds that between 50% and 75% of those whose licenses are suspended or revoked as a result of driving under the influence continue to drive illegally without their licenses.
B. 
This Legislature further finds that over 60% of third-time DWI offenders who have their licenses suspended or revoked commit some manner of traffic violation during the period of suspension/revocation.
C. 
This Legislature further finds and determines that unlicensed drivers are involved in 20% of all traffic crashes and are 3.7 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than validly licensed drivers.
D. 
Therefore, the purpose of this article is to protect the lives of Suffolk County residents by instituting a procedure for the seizure and forfeiture of vehicles of drivers who are driving with suspended or revoked licenses.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CLAIMING AUTHORITY
The County Attorney, or his or her designee.
INSTRUMENTALITY OF AN OFFENSE
A vehicle, the use of which contributed directly and materially to the commission of an offense as defined in this article.
OFFENSE
The aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree pursuant to § 511(1) of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, when a suspension or revocation occurs due to a violation of § 510(2)(a)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (vi), 510(2)(b)(i) or (xii), or 510(3)(e) of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law; or a violation of § 509(1) of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law if the operator has at least once before been convicted of § 509(1) of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law.
SEIZING AGENCY
The law enforcement agency seizing the instrumentality of an offense.
A. 
Upon making an arrest or upon issuing a summons or an appearance ticket for an offense, as defined herein, committed in his or her presence, an officer shall seize the instrumentality of the offense. Said vehicle may be forfeited as hereinafter provided.
B. 
Notice of seizure.
(1) 
The seizing agency shall send notification of the seizure to all titled owners and registrants, if different, on file with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles by certified mail, return receipt requested, within five business days of the seizure. Such notification shall inform the recipient that there will be a hearing promptly scheduled before a neutral magistrate to determine whether probable cause existed for the defendant's having been issued a summons or having been arrested for a violation of an offense as defined herein, whether the County is likely to succeed on the merits of the forfeiture action, whether retention is necessary to preserve the vehicle from destruction or sale during the pendency of the forfeiture proceeding, and whether any other measures would better protect the County's interest during the proceedings, including, but not limited to:
(a) 
Issuance of a restraining order prohibiting the sale, transfer, or loss of the vehicle with imposition(s) of appropriate penalties for violation of said restraining order; and/or
(b) 
Taking of a bond.
(2) 
When a hearing is held, the neutral magistrate shall review the documents supporting the probable cause for issuance of a summons or arrest for violating an offense as defined herein and any other relevant documents and take any testimony to determine whether the seizing agency has sustained its burden of proof as set forth in Subsection B(1) of this section. If the seizing agency has met its burden of proof, the neutral magistrate shall authorize the continued retention of the property by the seizing agency pending a judicial determination of any civil forfeiture action. For purposes of this hearing, a computer-generated Department of Motor Vehicles abstract offered by the seizing agency indicating a suspension or revocation for an offense as defined herein shall be presumptive evidence that the operator's license or privilege was suspended or revoked. Nothing herein shall be construed to preclude a party with a legal interest in the seized property from commencing an action or proceeding in a court of competent jurisdiction for its return.
(3) 
The Suffolk County Executive shall designate neutral magistrates to conduct hearings in accordance with this Subsection B(2).
C. 
Any action for forfeiture under § 818-16 of this article shall be commenced, in the manner prescribed by New York Civil Practice Law and Rules § 304, within 180 days after the disposition of the summons or arrest for the offense, but in no event more than five years after seizure. Failure to commence such an action within the aforesaid time period shall result in the immediate return of the property to its lawful owner. A vehicle will be made available for release to the titled owner at the place of storage, subject to payment of reasonable and customary towing, maintenance and storage fees to the date of release. In the event of a failure to take possession of the vehicle within 60 days after actual notification or by certified mail, return receipt requested, sent to the address of the titled owner on file with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles or another state's equivalent office if not titled in New York, whichever date is earlier, then upon such failure the vehicle will be forfeited.
A. 
A civil action may be commenced by the claiming authority, or its designee, against a defendant to forfeit seized property which constitutes the instrumentality of an offense or to recover a money judgment in an amount equivalent in value to the property which constitutes an instrumentality of an offense, except that:
(1) 
No property used by any person as a common carrier in the transaction of business as a common carrier shall be forfeited under the provisions of this subsection unless it shall appear that the owner or agent of the owner was a consenting party or privy to the commission of the offense as described in this article; and
(2) 
No property shall be forfeited under the provisions of this subsection by reason of any act or omission established by the owner thereof to have been committed or omitted by any person other than the owner while the subject property was unlawfully in the possession of a person other than the owner.
B. 
A civil action may be commenced by the claiming authority, or its designee, against a defendant to seize and to forfeit property which constitutes the instrumentality of an offense, or to recover a money judgment in an amount equivalent in value to the property which constitutes the instrumentality of an offense, except that:
(1) 
No property used by any person as a common carrier in the transaction of business as a common carrier shall be forfeited under the provision of this subsection unless it shall appear that the owner or agent of the owner was a consenting party or privy to the commission of the offense as described in this article; and
(2) 
No property shall be forfeited under the provisions of this subsection by reason of any act or omission established by the owner thereof to have been committed or omitted by any person other than the owner while the subject property is unlawfully in the possession of a person other than the owner.
C. 
A civil action may also be commenced against a noncriminal defendant to recover the property which constitutes the instrumentality of an offense, subject to the same exceptions contained in Subsections A and B of this section. A noncriminal defendant who knows, or should know, of prior illegal use by a criminal defendant of the instrumentality or other property of a like nature or kind shall be presumed to know that the instrumentality was or would be used in a manner that would directly and materially contribute to the commission of a subsequent crime or that obtaining his or her interest in the instrumentality could assist the criminal defendant in avoiding the forfeiture.
D. 
All actions commenced under this article shall be governed by the procedures enumerated in Article 13-A of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules, where not specifically outlined herein.
E. 
No property shall be forfeited under this article unless the claiming authority produces clear and convincing evidence that the noncriminal defendant engaged in affirmative acts which aided, abetted or facilitated the conduct of the criminal defendant. The noncriminal defendant must take all prudent steps to prevent the illegal use of his or her property, and willful disregard by the owner or lienholder of the acts giving rise to forfeiture shall not constitute a defense to such forfeiture.
F. 
Unless barred by the five-year limitation contained in § 818-15C of this article, any action to forfeit seized property under Subsection A of this section may be commenced within 180 days after the disposition of the summons or arrest for the offense when the property has first been seized under § 818-15A of this article and within 180 days after the disposition of the summons or arrest for the offense when the property has not been first seized under § 818-15A, and said action shall be civil, remedial, and in rem in nature and shall not be deemed to be a penalty or criminal forfeiture for any purpose. An action under this article shall not be deemed a criminal proceeding of any type. The action shall be commenced in the manner prescribed by New York Civil Practice Law and Rules § 304. Potential claimants to the seized asset shall be served with a summons and notice or summons and verified complaint. No property as defined in § 818-14 of this article shall be forfeited without service of notice upon potential claimants to the seized asset and the opportunity for a prompt post-seizure hearing given prior to such forfeiture.
G. 
Once a civil action for forfeiture has been commenced pursuant to this section, the claiming authority shall notify victims who have been physically injured as a result of the offensive actions of an individual which have precipitated such seizure and forfeiture proceeding as to the time and place of said court forfeiture hearing.
H. 
In order to establish its case in any action commenced under this article, the County shall demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, that the property in question is subject to forfeiture at the time of commission of the offense, as defined in this article, which precipitated the seizure or the commencement of an action for the seizure of the property without regard to the final determination of any criminal actions brought against the individual for such offense. The noncriminal defendant shall then have the burden of proving a lack of knowledge or lack of consent on behalf of said noncriminal defendant sufficient to constitute a defense to such forfeiture.
I. 
If, after a seizure of property has been made under § 818-15A of this article, it is determined that the noncriminal defendant has met the burden set forth hereinabove, then the vehicle which constitutes the instrumentality of an offense so seized shall immediately be returned to its lawful owner. A vehicle will be made available for release to the lawful owner at the place of storage, subject to payment of reasonable and customary towing, maintenance and storage fees to the date of release. In the event of a failure to take possession of the vehicle within 60 days after actual notification or by certified mail, return receipt requested, sent to the address on file to the titled owner with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, or another state's equivalent office if not titled in New York, whichever date is earlier, then upon such failure the vehicle will be forfeited.
J. 
All property seized pursuant to this article is subject to reasonable and customary towing, maintenance and daily storage fees as may be established by the Suffolk County Police Commissioner. Such fees shall be payable to the seizing agency, or in the event the instrumentality of the offense has been transferred to the custody of the Suffolk County Police Department by the seizing agency, such fees shall be payable to the Suffolk County Police Department, prior to release of said property. The seizing agency, if other than the Suffolk County Police Department, shall be reimbursed up to $300 for towing and storage expense actually incurred, upon disposal of said instrumentality of the offenses by the claiming authority, but said reimbursement shall not exceed money actually received by the Suffolk County Police Department for its disposition. All towing, storage and maintenance fees collected shall be retained by the Suffolk County Police Department and shall be transferred into a police asset forfeiture fund in a separate nonlapsing appropriation for law enforcement purposes.
[Amended 6-12-2007 by L.L. No. 19-2007]
K. 
The claiming authority may at any time authorize the return of the seized vehicle to the lawful owner, with or without conditions attached. When a vehicle is made available for release to the lawful owner, it shall be at the place of storage and subject to payment of reasonable and customary towing, maintenance and storage fees to the date of release. In the event of a failure to take possession of the vehicle within 60 days after actual notification or by certified mail, return receipt requested, sent to the address of the titled owner on file with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, or another state's equivalent office if not titled in New York, whichever date is earlier, then upon such failure the vehicle will be forfeited.
A. 
Whenever property is forfeited under this article, the claiming authority, or his or her respective designee, may:
(1) 
Retain the property or asset for official use.
(2) 
Sell any forfeited property or asset which is not required to be destroyed by law and which is not harmful to the public.
(3) 
Transfer the property or asset to any County agency, department or other political subdivision demonstrating need for the specific property or asset so that the property or asset may be put into official use by that agency, department or other political subdivision.
(4) 
Transfer the property or asset to any County-funded agency or organization demonstrating need for the specific property or asset so that the property or asset may be put into use by the funded agency or organization in the regular course of business of that funded agency or organization. Any such transfer of forfeited property or assets under this subsection may result in an in-kind deduction from those funds paid by the County to the specific agency or organization.
B. 
Any funds generated by the sale of forfeited property or assets described in this article, after deducting therefrom any fees imposed pursuant to § 818-16J above, shall be distributed in the following order of priority:
(1) 
Amounts to satisfy any valid lien or claim against the property forfeited;
(2) 
Amounts ordered to be paid by the defendant in any other action or proceeding as restitution, reparation or damages to a victim of the offense which constitutes the basis upon which forfeiture of the seized asset was effected under this article, to the extent such amounts remain unpaid, whichever is less; provided, however, the claiming authority receives written notice from the victim or his/her duly appointed representative within 30 days of the commencement of the civil forfeiture action in order for the victim to receive such funds;
(3) 
All monies remaining after distributions pursuant to Subsection B(1) and (2) shall be distributed as follows:
(a) 
Twenty percent to the claiming authority in satisfaction of actual costs and expenses incurred in the investigation, preparation and litigation of the forfeiture action, including that proportion of the salaries of the attorneys, clerical and investigative personnel devoted thereto, plus all costs and disbursements made in the administration of this article, which shall be deposited into a separate nonlapsing appropriation of the claiming authority for law enforcement purposes;
(b) 
Ten percent to the Sheriff's Department in satisfaction of actual costs and expenses incurred in the service of process of the civil forfeiture actions, including that proportion of the salaries of the personnel devoted thereto, which shall be deposited into a separate nonlapsing appropriation of the Sheriff's Department for law enforcement purposes; and
(c) 
Seventy percent to the Suffolk County STOP-DWI Office for the purposes of supporting or providing drunk driving education, prevention and enforcement programs administered by governmental and/or nongovernmental agencies within Suffolk County.
(4) 
The expenditure of funds pursuant to Subsection B(3) shall be in accordance with an annual plan approved by resolution of the County Legislature.
A. 
Nothing contained in this article shall require the claiming authority, or his or her respective designee, to commence a forfeiture action when, in his or her discretion, it is in the interests of justice not to commence such an action.
B. 
Nothing contained in this article shall require a court to order a forfeiture when it determines, in its discretion, that it is in the interests of justice not to do so.