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TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX ALL OF THIS. >> IF PAID ON TIME, THIS TICKET WOULD HAVE BEEN $110. CHRISTINA: WRITTEN HE RECEIVED ONE OF MORE THAN 3500 BOGUS TRAFFIC TICKETS ON LOUISIANA AVENUE THAT THE CITY SAYS SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN HANDED OUT LAST FALL. >> I WAS DRIVING 31 MILES PER HOUR. IT SAID THE POSTED SPEED WAS 20 MILES PER HOUR. IT WAS 35. CHRISTINA: TURNS OUT IT WAS ONE OF MANY FOUND WITH NEW ORLEANS TRAFFIC CAMERA PROGRAM. PROBLEMS DATING BACK TO 2008. >> MISTAKES WERE MADE IN HOW TICKETS WERE BOTH ISSUED AND HOW FUNDS WERE HANDLED. IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, HOW FUNDS WERE HANDLED IN TERMS OF A REFUND. CHRISTINA: GARY HARPER SAYS NEW ORLEANS KEPT ABOUT $730,000 IN OVERPAYMENTS, AND DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT. >> EVEN IF IT IS A SMALL AMOUNT, THEY SOMETIMES GO UP TO HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN REFUNDED TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS. CHRISTINA: THE INSPECTOR GENERAL FOUND A LOT OF THE OVERPAYMENTS WERE IN SCHOOL ZONES, OR SCHOOLS EITHER DON’T EXIST OR JUST WERE IN SESSION. THE REPORT SAYS THE IMPORTANT ISSUES WERE OVERLOOKED BECAUSE NO ONE WAS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ADDRESSING THEM. >> THE OPERATIONS IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA DID NOT FULFILL THE RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PUBLIC. CHRISTINA: THE INSPECTOR GENERAL SENT SIX RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY LEADERS, HOPING TO FIX PROBLEMS, BUT PEARSON THINKS THE PROGRAM SHOULD JUST GO AWAY, AT LEAST FOR NOW. >> I DON’T FEEL LIKE THIS PROGRAM IS EFFECTIVE WITH THE TICKETS. IT CAN BE MORE DISTRACTION. CHRISTINA: ONE RECOMMENDATION IS FINDING SOMEONE TO OVERSEE THE ENTIRE TRAFFIC CAMERA PROGRAM, WHETHER IT IS THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OR THE NOPD.

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The New Orleans Office of Inspector General found the city did not monitor the traffic camera safety program properly or handle issues with the program due to what it called flawed management and reporting structure.In a report issued Thursday, the OIG found the program lacked oversight, which led to many of its issues. The OIG found the city collected more than $730,000 in overpayments on traffic camera tickets from when the first cameras were activated in 2008 until January 2019."Even if it’s small amounts for tickets, and they sometimes can, of course, go up to hundreds of dollars, those funds should have been refunded to those individuals," said Derry Harper, the inspector general.Harper said instead, the money sat sat in city bank accounts, and program leaders didn't know about the issues because no one was responsible for reading the report on overpayments."The city’s operations in this particular area, did not meet the primary responsible to the public," Harper said.The OIG also found many of the illegal tickets were issued in school zones, when schools were not in session. The report states no one was responsible for confirming that school locations and calendars were accurate.The OIG sent six recommendations to city leaders:Recommendation 1: City officials and program stakeholders should develop and implement an appropriate management and oversight structure consistent with the ordinance and any other legal requirements. This management structure should ensure clear lines of responsibility and accountability, facilitate communication and coordination among stakeholders, and use data to monitor and continually improve the program.Recommendation 2: Program officials should assign responsibility to identify and obtain information on school calendars and closures, and coordinate with schools and with the traffic camera contractor to develop ways to reduce the issuance of invalid school zone tickets. In a response attached to the report, city leaders plan to create an Office of Business and External Services to manage the program later this year.Recommendation 3: The program should revise its controls and processes to ensure that all citations are issued in accordance with the ordinance, including training program staff on the relevant legal deadlines. The NOPD should strive to improve timeliness of reviewing citations and should track appropriate performance measures.Recommendation 4: The NOPD should update its policies for review of citations, implement quality controls on approved citations, and work with ATS to obtain appropriate data for monitoring officer performance to ensure a thorough review of tickets.Recommendation 5: The Adjudication Bureau should develop processes to ensure the removal of suspensions. The City should promptly impose penalties for delinquent camera ticket holders who fail to appear at hearings. The Traffic Camera Safety Program also should develop clear lines of accountability to resolve future problems promptly.Recommendation 6: The DPW, Project Delivery Unit, and Finance Department, in consultation with the Law Department, should collaborate to refund overpaid money as appropriate; develop systems that comply with the Louisiana Uniform Unclaimed Property Act; and provide notice about overpayments to drivers. They should assign employees the responsibility to review data reports, including the overpayment liability report, so the City can identify and solve emerging problems. Read the full report here.