“What Happens?” + a CF announcement

What Happens?

What happens when cities (predictably) ignore elections?

What happens when their police departments illegally arrest activists – repeatedly – for daring to speak out against rampant surveillance and inappropriate corporate control over entire municipalities?

What happens when entire state governments are unable or unwilling to listen to the will of the people regarding foreign corporations who base their revenue expectations on mail fraud and phony tickets?

What happens when government considers mere movement a privilege instead of an inherent right?

They get painfully exposed by CameraFRAUD.

Again.

New tools. New Features. New Websites —Coming Soon.

It’s time to redefine activism. It’s time to act.

Join us today

as we begin beta testing

the new CameraFRAUD 2012: Forum

American Traffic Solutions, Redflex Double-Down On Fraud

A Redflex employee hard at work in the company's North Phoenix processing office. (All tickets are reviewed by multiple "Homers," a derogatory phrase used by corporate managers to refer to the paper processors who usually make little money.)

Ticketing and surveillance giants Redflex and American Traffic Solutions are doubling down on their favorite methods of revenue generation: fraudulent business practices, blatant incompetency, and lawsuits.

Sioux Falls Fail

Beleaguered Redflex is so incompetent that the company mailed out 500 red light camera tickets… to people accused by the machines of speeding:

Michael Evans got the surprise in the mail that no one wants, a ticket for running a red light in Sioux City.

When he looked at the video of his offense he was confused to say the least, because his pickup is clearly on the interstate.

He alerted the police about the mistake, and they sent out a letter of apology to about 500 people who also received the wrong type of ticket, but along with the apology came new tickets for speeding violations.

Town dunce and Sioux City Police’s Cpt. Melvin William was quick to defend the “theft-by-shiny-badge” scheme, presumably at the request of his new private-camera-contractor overlords:

“Because in one spot we didn’t change the wording that the whole thing should be thrown out?  No…There is no error when it comes to the fines that were imposed.  They were the right fines for what had occurred.  There is no error when it comes to the evidence,”

…Except for the whole “accusing 500 people of the wrong crime” thing.

American Traffic Solutions: “Circle Jerk” Lawsuits In Houston

Taking the “American way of justice” further down the shitcan is American Traffic Solutions in Houston. ATS is angry that citizens voted the cameras out, so the company is blatantly engaging in frivolous lawsuits in an effort to block the will of the “voters:”

The ruling was a major victory for the legal strategy of ATS General Counsel George Hittner, who worked with the Houston city attorney to create a lawsuit in which city officials, who want the cameras back, sued ATS, which also wants the cameras back. The case was not filed in state court, which would be the proper venue. Instead, Hittner had the case filed in the federal courthouse where his father happens to serve.

Still voting?

Redflex Mail Fraud In Spokane

“…Spokane County Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque ruled three tickets issued in Spokane using cameras to detect those running red lights were invalid because the electronic signature on the tickets was generated out of state.”

…Phony signatures. Phony tickets. Phony corporate cops that defend revenue schemes instead of constituents’ life and property.  Phony lawsuits. Laws and due-process ignored.

Happy Phony Forth of July from CameraFRAUD. Because the USA is where your ability to serve as a milking cow to the state and its corporate allies is patriotic job number one. Now get back to work, slave!

Arizona’s Most Toxic Assets: Redflex and ATS

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." George Washington

To: Arizona State Senators and Representatives
From: CameraFRAUD
2/25/2011

Two of the largest automated ticketing vendors on the planet have substantial roots within the State of Arizona. Combined, these corporations employ many Arizonans and generate tens of thousands of dollars in revenue each day.

And there’s never been a better time to finally say goodbye.

Photo ticketing schemes extract enormous amounts of cash from the local economies in which they pretend to serve. Instead of this money staying within our community, Redflex and American Traffic Solutions virtually launder these stolen funds through pseudo-local offices… and back to their respective faceless investment banks.

In one corner, American Traffic Solutions sounds downright patriotic in name. Their surveillance cameras even boast a sticker as being “Made in the USA.” Don’t let the smoke and mirrors fool you though: ATS is a pawn of the massively-corrupt investment firm and former bailout recipient Goldman Sachs.

In the other corner, Redflex is being purchased by Macquarie Ltd and the Carlyle Group, two firms which are equally disinterested in the well-being of Arizonans. These faceless monsters only care about profits, and how every last dime can be extracted from their voiceless victims.

Just like the large, faceless investment banks which helped contribute to our current national recession, ticketing vendors Redflex and ATS also create local booms and busts within local municipalities. Unfortunately, the local elected “leaders” are asleep at the wheel, and aren’t paying attention to this modern game of “Three Cup Shuffle.”

Cities and towns are lured in by the prospect of “free money,” usually to the chipper reminder that such ticketing programs are “violator funded.” Contracts are haphazardly entered into, cameras go up, and the money starts to pour in. But as with any scam, there’s always a catch. Programs which start out profitable usually end up in the red, as is the case with the City of Mesa’s beleaguered relationship with ATS.

Citizens revolt, avoid areas with overzealous enforcement, or simply grow savvy to methods to avoid detection. Unintended consequences include a population that has become savvy to avoiding process service, making a mockery of the supposed “rule of law.” Increases in yellow light timing can and have destroyed these profitable schemes, sometimes incurring the wrath of these money-sucking vampire vendors.

Attempts to cancel contracts administratively are met with threats of lawsuits. Cities actually forced to end their contracts due to citizen’s ballot initiatives have been sued by these vendors, proving that there truly is no honor among thieves once the honey pot runs dry.

When Goldman Sachs dumped $70 million worth of mismanaged assets in 2006-2007, they were called “toxic.” Then Goldman conned its way into receiving $12.9 billion in TARP funds through AIG, while turning around and handing out $14 billion in executive bonuses.

Now, it’s Arizona’s turn to drop two toxic “assets” once and for all: the physical presence of American Traffic Solutions and Redflex within the Grand Canyon State.

Photo Unit Cop Caught Forging Documents

Geoffrey Jacobs (Photo: New Times)

A former officer with the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s now-defunct Redflex “photo enforcement unit” was allegedly caught forging documents and using “state” resources — a DPS airplane — to stalk an ex girlfriend.

According to AZCentral, “[Geoffrey] Jacobs wrote a fake obituary regarding another ex-girlfriend and sent it to Hawaiian Airlines, along with a letter detailing how Jacobs was trying to cope with the “huge loss” of his fiancee. The letter was sent so Jacobs could transfer his ex-girlfriend’s ticket to another woman…”

If this officer was corrupt enough to forge documents for an airline ticket change, did any of the members of the public stand a chance when their citations were in his hands?

But wait, there’s more… This one’s for the “if you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about” crowd:

He also was found to have abused DPS resources when he flew a state-owned plane over the neighborhood where he believed an ex-girlfriend lived in an attempt to locate her new home.

And who better to help run the accident-increasing photo enforcement scheme than an officer who had great first-hand experience causing accidents:

Jacobs joined DPS in late 2002. Less than one year later, he was served with his first letter of reprimand for an October 2003 wreck in Tucson. The next year, Jacobs was in another wreck and lost eight hours of vacation pay.

Jacobs, according to the New Times, “was the trooper who arrested Republican Party Executive Director Brett Mecum in May 2009 for criminal speeding. “

Now Jacobs is redefining irony, by suing the state over his dismissal. His claim? “…Defamation and violation of privacy and constitutional rights. “

Perhaps one would be more compassionate for the troubled cop if he didn’t work in a police unit that defamed and violated privacy and constitutional rights on an automated level.

With forgery, stalker-like surveillance, and dangerous driving supposedly under his belt, he would fit in well with the corporate criminal culture at Redflex Group.

(Should a full investigation into this officer’s role in the photo enforcement unit be conducted by AZDPS? Sound off in the comments section)

Oh, (no) Snap! Red Light for Red Light Cams

Orlando, Florida is now potentially on the hook for over $4 million in refunds after a judge rules the ticketing scheme to be invalid.

LaserCraft was the initial vendor for Orlando, until American Traffic Solutions purchased the Georgia company in June of this year. ATS has automated ticketing operations throughout Central and South Florida, as well as a vested interest in tolling.

In a rare example of honor among thieves, Redflex has refused to operate cameras in the Sunshine State, calling such operations “illegal.” (Update: No such thing as honor among thieves; Redflex proceeded to bid on contracts in Homestead, FL despite their own securities statement acknowledging such schemes to be illegal.)

Video: MyFoxOrlando: Red light cameras violate law.

Photo Yardwork Tickets Become Reality

What a "photo yardwork" ticket might look like.

Not satisfied with automated tickets for alleged traffic violations, Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions is boldly expanding their big-brother repertoire to go places never gone before:  directly to your house.

Known for their unpopular red-light and speed cameras, ATS will be managing a “litter enforcement program” in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to WBRZ News 2, the local ABC affiliate:

“15 workers are getting training on documenting blight with photographs and in generating warning letters and hearing notices to send to property owners.”

In other words, “photo yardwork” ticketing has arrived and, like always, it’s all about the money:

Violators face possible fines of $117, plus $50 in court costs if they fail to correct the violation within 15 days of receiving a warning letter. The new system also gives city-parish workers the right to clean up an uncooperative property owner’s parcel and add the costs to the owner’s annual tax bill.

Almost a quarter of the population within Baton Rouge city limits live in poverty, according to 2007 census data. While $167 may sound steep for an automatically-generated ticket processed by a greedy, private company which received a large cash infusion from taxpayer-bailed-out Goldman Sachs, we hear that ATS might still be giving away some backpacks.

How generous. Perhaps they can be boiled and eaten.

Tucson Vice Mayor doesn’t like 24/7 video

What part of, this technology will be abused, did you not understand!

Vice Mayor Karen Uhlich told Fox 11 News, “When the Mayor and Council approved the red light cameras, we were explicitly told that the cameras would be only be activated during a violation. We were told they would not be running all the time.”

 Click here for the rest of the story.

Maricopa County Judge: Photo Enforcement Unconstitutional

It looks like the courts are finally beginning to catch on.

“According to Judge John Keegan, the law violates the U.S. Constitution because it denies equal protection under the law.

He says it also crosses a clause on equal privileges and immunities in Arizona’s state Constitution.”

Go read the story…

“We’re taping you, 24/7.”

That’s the message that Representative Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, believes that everyone should be privy to.

State lawmakers were “surprised” to learn that the “photo enforcement cameras they authorized last year to catch speeders are actually taking – and keeping – videos of everyone who passes,” according to the East Valley Tribune.

“…they learned that the cameras do more than snap still photos of those clocked driving at least 11 miles over the speed limit. In fact, they actually are recording streaming video around-the-clock.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, said what’s worse is that Redflex Traffic Systems, the private company hired by the state to set up and operate the cameras, advertises that it has technology that actually can scan in the license plates of every vehicle that passes the cameras. And that, Biggs said, allows creation of a database that can find out where people have been at any given time.”

Of course, this isn’t news to the people who’ve read CameraFRAUD.com over the past 4 1/2 months.

In honor of their rekindled interest in representing the will of the people, we humbly present the following reading list. Feel free to send this list to your state reps (click for lookup/contact info).

Arizona Representative and Senator
Recommended Reading List
CameraFRAUD.com

1/22/09: FRAUDULENT TICKETS TOSSED IN TUCSON

1/19/09: Redflex and Red China: Partners in Oppression

1/08/09: Scottsdale Secretly Tracking License Plates

12/12/08: Show Low To Track Drivers Like Cattle

12/07/08: Delays, Technical Problems Plague Redflex Rollout

12/05/08: DPSRedflex Contract Available Online (The politicians should have read this already!)

9/16/08: Cameras to Track Everyone, Everywhere

9/09/08: Redflex Driver DUI

Scottsdale Secretly Tracking License Plates

Exclusive – CameraFRAUD has uncovered that American Traffic Solutions has been quietly using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) devices to monitor and track the movements of those within the self-proclaimed “Most Livable City.”

The device in question is a “Stinger Intelligent ANPR Camera” manufactured by Appian Technology, a U.K-based company which specializes in the equipment.

ANPR technology can be used to catalog driver locations, flag “suspicious” vehicles, or immediately notify interested parties when a specific plate number is detected.

Serial # 002007

An ATS ANPR device quietly targets east-west movement on McDowell Road in Scottsdale, AZ before its exposure and subsequent removal.

“The processor element takes imagery from the camera and runs the plate recognition processes. Neural network Talon ANPR software is used as standard…” says the brochure from Appian.

“The processor is a powerful mini computer specifically developed for military image processing applications.”

The documentation continues on to tout the optional addition of an RFID-enabled unit to track license plates so-equipped.

(Download Appian Cobra ANPR brochure, PDF 1.37MB)

CameraFRAUD has extensively covered the development of these invasive devices (“Show Low to Track Drivers Like Cattle” (12/12/08); “Cameras to Track Everyone, Everywhere“(9/16/2008).

Whether or not you’ve committed a traffic violation, this camera automatically presumes your guilt, tracking your license plate number, date, time, and location, with possible automated cross-checks with national terrorism databases.

It’s unknown whether the politicians as well as those in charge of the city’s photo enforcement program are aware of the deployment of the far-reaching and Orwellian technology, or if the utilization of such a device is even authorized by the contract.

If not, ATS would be in the awkward position of explaining why their technology is going far above and beyond what was requested by the city.