MONTICELLO – Orange and Ulster counties each have created a central arraignment program to facilitate the formal filing of charges against a suspect in a crime.
Instead of waiting for a local judge to be available to arraign a person, central courts have been established with judges scheduled to handle arraignments in Ulster and Orange counties.
This is the same plan being developed in Sullivan County, said Luis Alvarez, chairman of the county legislature’s Public Safety and Law Enforcement Committee.
“This way we will have a place and a facility where you can actually put there, and it is being watched by cameras and is being watched by somebody from the sheriff’ office until arraignment can take place. There would be two times, one in the morning and one in the afternoon,” he said.
Until arraignment, a suspect would be held in the county jail.
The plan would have to be signed off by the local judges, the sheriff’s office and the county legislature.
Neither Dutchess or Putnam County have a central arraignment program at this time.
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