Taking on the Government Photo Radar Protest in Scottsdale Results in $28K Settlement With Activist
Thanks to CameraFraud for the link!
Quote: "Unsurprisingly, it was Officer Keith English making this arrest too. He appears to be the chief thug enforcer for ATS."
http://warondriving.com/post/11412194542/scottsdale-photo-radar?mid=5016
Photo Radar Protest in Scottsdale Results in $28K Settlement With Activist
Scottsdale, AZ is the home of American Traffic Solutions http://warondriving.com/american-traffic-solutions and plenty of controversy involving their photo enforcement scheme.
Back in August of 2008, activist Jason Shelton http://www.youtube.com/user/rp4409 was filming a peaceful protest of an operating photo radar van. From witness accounts, what happened next was an embarrassment to the Scottsdale Police Department and is now proving costly to the city and taxpayers.
The van operator, under instructions from ATS management called the police who arrived on the scene quickly. Shelton was accosted by Scottsdale PD officer Keith English when he didn’t provide an ID card. Witness accounts and subsequent video evidence showed that Shelton verbally told Officer English who he was, which is sufficient identification in the eyes of the court. English went outside his authority and arrested Shelton for “failure to provide ID.”
Video evidence obtained via FOIA request showed an outburst by English during the booking process in which he stomped on Shelton’s foot, which then required medical attention.
A lawsuit was filed by Shelton against the city of Scottsdale over the incident which was just settled this week for $28,000. [settlement http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Asset41606.aspx]
According to the terms, Scottsdale has chosen to take the money to pay out on the suit from a property tax fund and will raise their residents taxes to compensate.
Not only is Scottsdale willing to suppress freedom of speech over their questionable law enforcement practices (ATS), but will then use taxpayer money to bail out the Police Department, when their officers do the bidding of a private corporation.
This is not an isolated incident for American Traffic Solutions, the city and the PD. Less than two years later, a retired Federal Agent of 26 years, Neville Cramer http://nevillecramer.com/, noticed some ATS employees running an illegal test of their radar and flashing camera equipment. Cramer was flashed while driving at the posted limit.
He pulled over to investigate, informed the ATS employees that they were violating the law and called Scottsdale PD to come out and intervene. When the police arrived, they arrested Cramer instead.
He was booked and charged with “fighting.” Unsurprisingly, it was Officer Keith English making this arrest too. He appears to be the chief thug enforcer for ATS.
During the subsequent dealings he had with ATS attorneys, they informed him that he “might as well plead guilty, because no matter what, you’ll be found guilty.” The ATS attorney boasted, “we tell the city of Scottsdale what to do and they do it.” [VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl2LR9gi_dg] Cramer was found guilty and his appeal was denied.
If American Traffic Solutions and CEO Jim Tuton really have that type of hold over the court system and the police department, a full federal investigation of fraud and corruption would be appropriate to determine just how they’ve been able to exercise that control.
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