A pink summons is a ticket issued in the five boroughs of New York City requiring the offender to appear in a court of law to answer for a criminal violation. The ticket, which is formally known as a New York City summons, gets its nickname from its pink color. Although a pink summons appears to be very similar to most traffic tickets issued elsewhere in the country, it actually carries far more weight and comes with serious consequences if ignored.
The top section of a pink summons contains basic personal information, such as the offender's first and last name, current address and date of birth. If a driver's license is available, this information is also noted in the top section. If the pink summons is issued for a motor vehicle incident, the officer will also indicate whether the offender is the owner of the vehicle.
The middle section of a pink summons will indicate the charge against the offender. In addition to listing the specific statute being violated, the officer will also write a brief description of the complaint. The time, date and location of the violation will also be noted in this section.
Immediately below the description of the offense will be the time, date and location of the court appearance. It will list the exact street address of the courthouse, and it will also indicate the specific courtroom where the offender will be expected to appear. In most pink summons cases, the courtroom handling the complaint will be Part AR2 in the county where the offense was committed.
Upon issuing the summons, the officer will sign and print his name and indicate his squad number. The offender is also asked to sign the pink summons to confirm receipt and acknowledgment of the impending court hearing. Signing the summons is not considered an acknowledgment of guilt.
Ignoring a pink summons can carry stiff penalties. If the offender fails to show up for the court appointment, an arrest warrant will be issued. This means that should an offender be stopped for any other violation in the United States, an arrest will be made and jail time and fines assigned. Residing outside of New York City is not considered a sufficient enough reason for avoiding a summons. Every summons contains a toll-free number on the back that offenders may call if there is a problem with the scheduled court date.