Stamford General Information
The City of Stamford is located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. According to recent census reports, Stamford’s population is nearly 126,000 residents, making it the third largest city in the State of Connecticut and the seventh largest city in all of New England. Known as the “City that Works,” and with 45 different neighborhoods, Stamford is the largest financial district in New York Metropolitan area outside New York City itself and one of the largest concentrations of corporations in the nation. Some well-known companies with headquarters in Stamford include: the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), Pitney Bowes, NBC Sports, Chelsea Piers, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Charter Communications, the Yes Network, UBS and RBS. Popular landmarks include the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, which holds a collection of pieces from the artist Gutzon Borglum, who is most famous for sculpting Mount Rushmore, and the Jackie Robinson Park named after the famous baseball player, both who were residents of Stamford.
The University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut has a branch location in Stamford, which offers a full array of undergraduate and graduate courses to its students. After class, UConn Stamford college students often spill out into the bustling downtown area where bars, restaurants and nightclubs are open until 1am. College students should know that police vigilantly and diligently enforce underaged drinking laws, 30-89 possession of alcohol laws, 21a-279a possession of marijuana laws and 21a-267(d) possession of paraphernalia laws. Depending on the circumstances, these laws can be charged as infractions, misdemeanors or felonies, so make sure you speak to a top attorney before pleading guilty in court or by mail.
High School Arrests
Stamford has three public high schools: Stamford High, Westhill High and AITE (the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering). These high schools are usually supervised by a full-time member of the Stamford Police Department called the “SRO,” or the School Resource Officer. While the SRO has the power to arrest students, the SRO usually tries to work with students, their families, and high school staff to resolve and mediate issues without court intervention. However, in the event a high school student is arrested, they will be referred to Stamford Juvenile Court if they are 16 years old or younger, or will be summoned to Stamford Superior Court – adult division – if they are over 16 years old. Additionally, for every juvenile or high school student arrest, the Board of Education is required to consider suspension or expulsion disciplinary action under Connecticut state law. Therefore if you are a Stamford, Westhill, or AITE high school student and have been arrested, then you should contact a top attorney to make sure you don’t do anything in court that could jeopardize your enrollment.
The Jerry Springer, Maury Povich & Steve Wilkos Shows
In addition to its NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, NBCUniversal, Inc. has also anchored its productions of three of its controversial talk shows—the Jerry Springer Show, the Maury Povich Show, and the Steve Wilkos Show. Usually never a dull moment on these shows, top criminal attorneys have now and then seen an unruly Jerry Springer or other NBC show guest or audience member get arrested for 53a-182 Disorderly Conduct or 53a-181 Breach of Peace in the Second Degree. If not handled properly by a top Connecticut criminal lawyer, these charges can be a nuisance for Jerry Springer guests who get arrested in Stamford for Disorderly Conduct or Breach of Peace.
The Stamford Superior Court
The Stamford Superior Court is located at 123 Hoyt Street. It is located directly adjacent to the Police Station. The courthouse houses the civil court, family and divorce courts, criminal courts, juvenile arrest court, motor vehicle and traffic court, small claims court, and complex litigation court. Housing and landlord-tenant court is located in Norwalk Superior Court, GA20. If you are arrested for a misdemeanor or felony in Stamford, Darien or Greenwich, then you will be required to appear in Stamford Superior Court to fight your charges.
Superior Court Criminal Docket – Part A & Part B Arrests
You will find the best attorneys working within the hallways and courtrooms of the Stamford Superior Court criminal dockets. If you are arrested for a serious felony crime in Darien, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, Easton, New Canaan, Norwalk or Stamford, then your case will likely be heard in the “Part A” docket located at the Stamford Superior Court Judicial District at 123 Hoyt Street. There is an elite team of approximately six Part A prosecutors and district attorneys who only prosecute these Part A cases, which generally include Stamford, Norwalk, New Canaan, Darien and Greenwich arrests for murder, manslaughter, rape, sexual assault, child pornography, larceny, burglary and robbery crimes. These prosecutors have years of experience is prosecuting these types of cases so it is always a good idea to consider hiring the best attorneys to fight a Part A case for murder, rape, sexual assault, child pornography or larceny.
Many New Canaan, Westport, and Wilton arrests will begin in the Norwalk Superior Court Part B docket but will later be transferred to Part A Stamford because of the seriousness of the charges. During your first court appearance in Norwalk Superior Court for a serious felony, you will be asked to sign an acknowledgement form that your case is being transferred to Part A in Stamford. This is not an admission of guilt of any kind whatsoever; rather, it is just a routine form that people charged with Part A crimes in Norwalk court are asked to sign. Once a case is transferred to Part A in Stamford, it is rarely returned to Part B.
Domestic Violence Crimes
As top attorneys know, the Stamford Superior Court domestic violence court convenes once a week (usually on Tuesdays) to preside over most of the domestic violence arrests in Stamford, Greenwich and Darien. This is a unique court process that involves a collaboration of the Stamford domestic violence prosecutors, family relations officers, domestic violence victim advocates, and the top Stamford, Darien and Greenwich domestic violence criminal attorneys who defend their clients against these charges. Domestic violence courts often impose criminal protective and restraining orders against those arrested for a domestic violence crime—often in the form of a “full no contact” protective order, a “full / residential stay-away” protective order, or a “limited / partial” protective or restraining order. A violation of any of these categories of protective orders can result in a felony arrest for Criminal Violation of a Protective or Restraining Order under 53a-223 so be sure to contact an attorney if you have been served with a protective or restraining order in domestic violence court.
Civil Restraining Order Applications & Hearings
In addition to the protective orders issued in connection with Greenwich, Darien and Stamford domestic violence arrests, the Stamford Superior Court – Family Division has a special docket that considers applications for civil restraining orders. Anyone either applying for, or fighting, a civil restraining order application in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston, Westport, or Norwalk must report to civil restraining order court in Stamford Superior Court – Family Division. There, a hearing is held before a family court judge who will decide whether issuing a civil restraining order is necessary to protect the safety of the applicant. So if you are served with a notice of a civil restraining order hearing, it is essential that you appear in Stamford Superior Court to fight it, or else the judge may grant it without your attendance and it will remain in effect for a year. On the other hand, if you feel that you need to file an application for a civil restraining order against a family member, or someone with whom you are or were involved in a dating relationship, then you should contact an attorney to understand your rights and the restraining order process and procedures.
Traffic Court – Fighting Speeding & Cell Phone Tickets
All Darien, Stamford and Greenwich speeding, traveling too fast, and cell phone tickets under CGS 14-219, 14-218, and 14-296aa report to Stamford Superior Court traffic court which is usually held three days a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). Having a Stamford attorney defend you may save you points on your driving record, keep your auto insurance from skyrocketing, and save you hours of waiting around in court for your case to be called. Hiring a top attorney can sometimes save you from having to appear in court at all. Top Greenwich and Stamford traffic court attorneys will fight your speeding and cell phone tickets to hopefully achieve a full dismissal of the ticket. They appreciate just how precious your driving record is, and will aggressively exhaust every option to get your speeding ticket dismissed.
The Stamford Police Department
The Stamford Police Department is comprised of approximately 280 sworn, full-time officers. They are responsible for investigating all infractions, violations, misdemeanors and felonies that have been committed in Stamford, Connecticut. They will sometimes hand off their investigations to the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, or Connecticut State Troopers. However, the majority of the crimes committed in Stamford are investigated by Stamford Police and those charged with misdemeanors and felonies are ordered to appear in Stamford Superior Court.
The Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit
In November 2013, the Stamford Police Department announced the creation of its new “Traffic Enforcement Unit” in an effort to make the Stamford roads safer from speeding, DWIs / DUIs, cell phone distracted drivers, and other moving violations. As a result, top Stamford Speeding ticket lawyers have seen an upsurge in calls from clients interested in fighting Stamford 14-219 Speeding tickets, fighting Stamford 14-296aa cell phone tickets, and fighting Stamford 14-218a Traveling Unreasonably Fast tickets. Pleading guilty to speeding tickets can result in an increase of your car insurance premium payments, or even a suspension of your Connecticut driver’s license. If you are unlucky enough to be stopped by Police Department officers and given a speeding ticket or cell phone violation ticket, then you should call an attorney to learn how you can fight it.
Reach Out to Mark Sherman Law Today
If you are arrested in the area and looking for an attorney, then call a Mark Sherman Law criminal attorney today. We can help you with your Stamford misdemeanor or felony arrest, DUI / DWI, domestic violence arrest, or restraining order case today. We offer services for Spanish-speaking clients, and are available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.