N.Y. SCC Law § 181

§ 181. Police justice. There shall be one justice of the court to be\nknown as the police justice. Said office shall be filled by election by\nthe electors of the city at the city election. The term of the police\njustice shall be six years and he shall receive an annual salary, to be\nfixed by the board of estimate and apportionment, provided, however,\nthat if the city does not have or is not authorized by law to have more\nthan one officer possessing the jurisdiction of a court of special\nsessions, such salary shall be fixed at not less than thirty-five\nhundred dollars per annum. If a police justice in any city shall have\nserved as such for more than twelve consecutive years, the board of\nestimate and apportionment may, notwithstanding the provisions of\nsection seventy-four of this chapter, increase the salary of such\njustice, from time to time, during his term of office, to take effect at\nthe time of any such increase or from the first day of January of the\ncurrent calendar year, as the board may determine. No person shall be\neligible for election to the office of police justice unless he be an\nelector and has been an attorney of the supreme court of the state for\nfive years. In case of the absence or disability of the police justice\nor of a vacancy in the office, any city judge or judge of the municipal\ncourt shall perform the duties of the office until the police justice\nreturns, his disability ceases or the vacancy is filled. In the city of\nAlbany, in the case of the absence, disability or unavailability of the\npolice justice or of a vacancy in the office, the recorder of the city\nor any justice of the city court of Albany shall perform the duties of\nthe office of police justice until such justice returns, his disability\nceases or the vacancy is filled.\n