I am an Ohio resident, and while in New York City for a wedding, I was
recently issued a summons for public urination. The summons claims
that this is a violation of Sec 153 Sub 09, and states that to plead
guilty I must personally appear in court on Sept. 19th.
I do not mind pleading guilty to the offense as long as I can be
confident that the penalty will be a fine, but is there any way I can
do this without returning to New York?  Can I plead guilty and mail in
the fine?
Some additional detail - I did not sign the ticket, and the police
officer copied down an old address from my drivers license (the
license is current, but I have moved recently and it still shows my
old address).
Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Hello wielder-ga,

Well, I figured for the best answer we?d go straight to the Horse?s
Mouth, to quote an old phrase, and I called the NYPD.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pct/pct060.html (Precinct 60)

I picked one at random and asked an officer about your question. You
DO have to appear in NYC to plead guilty. A warrant will be issued for
your arrest if you do not show up to your court date. I know it?s not
what you wanted to hear, but your appearance is required in court.

You?re not required to sign the ticket for it to be valid, and the old
address has no bearing on this as well due to the fact it was your
address on your issued ID. In fact, they stated it would be a bad idea
to bring that up because an angry judge could be more harsh with the
fine for not updating your ID then trying to use the fact you did not
update it to get out of a ticket.

They consider these ?quality of life? or a ?civility? crime in the
city and have been trying to crack down on them hence the required
appearance and strict rules. It?s part of a plan to improve the city.

?Arresting or issuing summonses to those who engage in such minor
violations and quality of life offenses as public drinking and public
urination, panhandling, loud radios, prostitution and disorderly
conduct, ensures that those behaviors are deterred even as a message
of intolerance for any other incivilities is expressed. Aggressive
enforcement of all statutes has been shown to restore a sense of
order.?
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/chfdept/compstat-process.html (About
the Compstat process)

Looks like you?ll be making a visit back to NYC in 11 days, make sure
to enjoy your time back in the city other than your court date.

Google Search
search new york cities laws
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=search+new+york+cities+laws&btnG=Search 


If this answer requires further explanation, please request
clarification before rating it, and I'll be happy to look into this
further.

Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher

Please don't piss on my city.  Thank you.

I would suggest calling a lawyer from New York and seeing if they can
plead it out before trial so you won't have to appear.  It'll cost you
a couple hundred, but would be well worth it for the savings in time
and gas.

FYI, the answer you received is not accurate.

takatakataka-ga.
Please explain your comment.  This "popular" question can use any
helpful input available.
Myoarin