Section 100.10. Local criminal court accusatory instruments; definitions thereof

1.  An "information" is a verified written  accusation  by  a  person,
  filed  with  a  local criminal court, charging one or more other persons
  with the commission of one or more offenses, none of which is a  felony.
  It  may  serve as a basis both for the commencement of a criminal action
  and for the prosecution thereof in a local criminal court.
    2.  (a) A "simplified traffic information" is a written accusation  by
  a  police  officer,  or  other public servant authorized by law to issue
  same, filed with a local criminal court, which charges a person with the
  commission of  one  or  more  traffic  infractions  and/or  misdemeanors
  relating  to  traffic,  and  which,  being in a brief or simplified form
  prescribed by the commissioner of motor vehicles, designates the offense
  or  offenses  charged  but  contains  no  factual  allegations   of   an
  evidentiary  nature  supporting  such charge or charges.  It serves as a
  basis for commencement of a criminal action for such  traffic  offenses,
  alternative to the charging thereof by a regular information, and, under
  circumstances  prescribed  in  section  100.25,  it may serve, either in
  whole or in part, as a basis for prosecution of such charges.
    (b)  A "simplified parks information" is a  written  accusation  by  a
  police  officer or other public servant authorized by law to issue same,
  filed with a local criminal court,  which  charges  a  person  with  the
  commission  of  one  or  more offenses, other than a felony, for which a
  uniform simplified parks information may be issued pursuant to the parks
  and recreation law and navigation law, and which being  in  a  brief  or
  simplified  form prescribed by the commissioner of parks and recreation,
  designates the offense or  offenses  charged  but  contains  no  factual
  allegations  of an evidentiary nature supporting such charge or charges.
  It serves as a basis for commencement of  a  criminal  action  for  such
  offenses,  alternative to the charging thereof by a regular information,
  and, under circumstances parescribed in section 100.25,  it  may  serve,
  either in whole or in part, as a basis for prosecution of such charges.
    (c)    A  "simplified  environmental  conservation  information"  is a
  written  accusation  by  a  police  officer  or  other  public   servant
  authorized  by  law  to  issue  same, filed with a local criminal court,
  which charges a person with the commission  of  one  or  more  offenses,
  other  than  a  felony,  for  which  a  uniform simplified environmental
  conservation information may be issued  pursuant  to  the  environmental
  conservation  law,  and  which  being  in  a  brief  or  simplified form
  prescribed by the commissioner of environmental conservation, designates
  the offense or offenses charged but contains no factual  allegations  of
  an evidentiary nature supporting such charge or charges.  It serves as a
  basis   for  commencement  of  a  criminal  action  for  such  offenses,
  alternative to the charging thereof by a regular information, and, under
  circumstances prescribed in section 100.25,  it  may  serve,  either  in
  whole or in part, as a basis for prosecution of such charges.
    3.  A "prosecutor's information" is a written accusation by a district
  attorney, filed with a local criminal court, either (a) at the direction
  of a grand jury pursuant to section 190.70, or (b) at the direction of a
  local criminal court pursuant to section 180.50 or 180.70, or (c) at the
  district attorney's own instance pursuant to subdivision two of  section
  100.50,  or  (d)  at  the  direction  of  a  superior  court pursuant to
  subdivision one-a of section 210.20,  charging one or more persons  with
  the  commission  of one or more offenses, none of which is a felony.  It
  serves as a basis for the prosecution  of  a  criminal  action,  but  it
  commences  a  criminal  action  only  where it results from a grand jury
  direction issued in a case not previously commenced in a local  criminal
  court.

    4.    A  "misdemeanor complaint" is a verified written accusation by a
  person, filed with a local criminal court, charging one  or  more  other
  persons  with  the  commission  of one or more offenses, at least one of
  which is a misdemeanor and none of which is a felony.   It serves  as  a
  basis  for  the commencement of a criminal action, but it may serve as a
  basis  for  prosecution  thereof  only  where  a  defendant  has  waived
  prosecution  by  information  pursuant  to  subdivision three of section
  170.65.
    5.  A "felony complaint" is a verified written accusation by a person,
  filed with a local criminal court, charging one or  more  other  persons
  with  the  commission of one or more felonies.  It serves as a basis for
  the  commencement  of  a  criminal  action,  but  not  as  a  basis  for
  prosecution thereof.