Fired red-light camera executive: Company bribed officials in 13 states

[spanone]

A fired executive from one of New Jersey’s red-light camera vendors contends in a lawsuit filed in Arizona that the company provided lavish gifts and bribes to government officials in 13 states — including New Jersey — to secure new contracts.

The brief but bombshell reference to New Jersey and other states in a 13-page counterclaim was made by Aaron Rosenberg, former nationwide lead salesman for Redflex Traffic Systems of Phoenix. He did not mention specific municipalities from any of the states.

Rosenberg noted in the suit that Redflex “bestowed gifts and bribes on ... officials in dozens of municipalities within, but not limited to the following states: California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia.”

He said Redflex bribed local officials with meals, golf outings and tickets to professional football and baseball games. The expenses were listed as categories such as “entertainment” and “celebratory tokens,” according to the suit.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2014/02/fired_red-light_camera_executive_company_bribed_officials_in_13_states_including_nj.html#incart_river

[Ikonoklast]

1. Another privatization SCAM.

Corporations like that need to die.

[spanone]

2. i'm in tennessee, one of the states mentioned. wonder how many 'celebratory tokens' 'we' got?

found this:

Tennessee: Redflex Misses Camera Contract Deadline
Redflex loses $5 million red light camera contract because it failed to send a contract extension to Knoxville, Tennessee on time.

An Australian red light camera operator lost the ability to issue tickets in Knoxville, Tennessee because it failed to send the required documents to the city on time. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that officials have flatly refused to consider renewing a multi-million dollar contract with Redflex because the company did not properly file paperwork by July 31.

"They busted the deadline," city purchasing agent Boyce Evans told the Knoxville News. "I was very surprised. … Redflex knew that was going to be due before anybody."

In May 2006 the Melbourne-based company first installed the red light camera network that now covers fifteen Knoxville intersections. The devices last year generated $2,599,732 in revenue, with Redflex pocketing over sixty percent of the annual take. Because the original contract will expire on November 8, the city gave Redflex until July 31 to submit a proposal for a three-year extension that included a few revisions that the city wanted to make. Redflex blamed FedEx for delivering the package on August 1, while FedEx apologized for an unexpected problem in getting the package delivered.

"Unfortunately, the FedEx vehicle transporting the shipment from our facility to our Los Angeles sort facility arrived later than scheduled and missed the outbound flight," a FedEx customer relations employee wrote to Redflex. "Regrettably, efforts to expedite the shipment have been unsuccessful."

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2524.asp

[AndyTiedye]

5. I Guess it Absolutely, Positively, Didn't Get There Overnight

[FarCenter]

3. The red light cameras may actually increase accidents

On Thursday, O’Scanlon stood with the mayor of Brick Township at a news conference in which that Ocean County community became the first New Jersey municipality to pull the plug on its red-light cameras.

Brick has a different vendor, American Traffic Solutions, also of Arizona.

The cameras at three intersections in the Shore town will go dark on Feb. 18, after new Mayor John Ducey said he was not convinced the automated traffic cops were making the roads safer.

One of the intersections, Brick Boulevard and Chambers Bridge Road, had 13 accidents and 5 right-angle accidents before the cameras went in and 28 accidents and 8 right-angle crashes in the last full year, Ducey said.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. No doubt at all...

when a red light camera goes in, they shorten the yellow light time. A lot of people know this, and will lock up the brakes rather than get the ticket.

[bkanderson76]

4. I See "Officials" of 13 States Bribed....Who Are they?....Storm The Gates

[BetterThanNoSN]

6. Uh huh

So, naturally, indictments will ensue