Oswego County Receives State Grant for IID Enforcement

OSWEGO COUNTY – Oswego County announced that its Probation Department and District Attorney’s Office joined forces to participate in New York State’s Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Non-Installer Enforcement Initiative. The program awards participating agencies a reimbursable grant of up to $35,000 to cover overtime costs associated with enforcement of IID requirements.

Under Leandra’s Law, judges are required to order all drivers convicted of drunk driving to install and maintain an ignition interlock device in any vehicle they own or operate. IIDs help prevent individuals who have been drinking from operating a motor vehicle because they must blow into the device before they can start it. If the device detects alcohol, the vehicle won’t start.

“Public safety is our first priority and this grant helps support our efforts to protect the people of Oswego County,” said Oswego County Legislator Paul Connolly, District 20, chairman of the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee. “Unfortunately for too many families, drunk driving has claimed the lives of their precious loved ones. This initiative is an important step to hold offenders accountable for their actions and prevent further tragedy.”

According to a preliminary report from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR), 617 tickets were issued for driving while impaired by alcohol in Oswego County in 2025. Data also shows there were 65 alcohol-related crashes resulting in two fatalities that year.

“Tools like ignition interlock devices are a vital component in our mission to curb impaired driving,” said Oswego County Probation Director and STOP-DWI Coordinator David Hall. “Drinking and driving is an unacceptable choice people make and we put a lot of effort into public education about safer choices. Our work to raise awareness about this issue is ongoing and this funding will now help us promote compliance with IID requirements as well.”

For over 40 years, New York State STOP-DWI has supported local agencies in a coordinated effort to reduce impaired driving – and, by extension, the number of people killed or injured in alcohol- or drug-related traffic crashes – through legislation, education, deterrence and enforcement.

One example is Leandra’s Law, which took effect in December 2009, making it a felony to drive under the influence of alcohol with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle. It is named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who was killed when the SUV she was riding in crashed on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City because its driver (the mother of a friend) was intoxicated. The law puts an IID restriction on the driver’s license, requiring them to have the device on any vehicle they own or operate.

“Under the state’s Vehicle & Traffic Law, anyone with an IID restriction who operates a motor vehicle not equipped with a court-ordered ignition interlock device – or tampering with or circumventing the IID so they don’t work properly – faces a misdemeanor which can result in a period of incarceration,” said Oswego County District Attorney Anthony J. DiMartino, Jr. “In addition, it’s important for friends and family to note that any individual who knowingly allows a person with an IID restriction to operate their vehicle without the device may also face charges.”

Awarded by the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the grant was earned following a training session on IID enforcement presented by the DCJS’ Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. County Probation and D.A. staff attended with approximately 25 representatives from several law enforcement agencies.

The Legislature’s Public Safety Committee oversees the Oswego County Probation Department and District Attorney’s Office. In addition to Legislator Connolly, committee members include Vice Chairman Herbert Yerdon, District 2; Frank Bombardo, District 7; Dorothy Caldwell, District 17; Mary Ellen Chesbro, District 10; Linda Lockwood, District 11; and Lee B. Walker, Jr., District. 15.