TRENTON- In blistering testimony before a state legislative committee, a former NJ Transit compliance officer described an agency "in peril," riddled with dysfunction, adhering to outdated safety policies and practices and led by officials unqualified to do the job.

Todd C. Barretta, the agency's former chief compliance officer, who was hired in April and terminated in August, told the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Friday about a frustrating tenure in which he tried to bring the agency up to date to comply with federal rules and regulations.

"NJ Transit is an agency in peril and needs assistance, it needs a new direction," Barretta said when asked why he was testifying. "I'm using my position because I couldn't rehabilitate the railroad...I'm here so someone else can do it."

In a statement Friday evening, the agency disputed Barretta's accusations and said it has cooperated with lawmakers ever since they began looking into the agency's finances and operations in October 2016.

"Nothing Mr. Barretta told the committees today adds any meaningful facts to the voluminous body of information NJ Transit has already provided the committees," the agency said. "Mr. Barretta's characterization of NJ Transit is uninformed, grossly and completely inaccurate."

During the hearing Friday, Barretta detailed several month of meetings with NJ Transit administration officials where he said he was told to redact or tone down memos. At one point, he said, he was asked to have the Federal Railroad Administration discipline two rail employees for using cell phones on the job, instead of having the agency doing it.

In another memo, he said he warned NJ Transit Executive Director Steven Santoro that the agency wasn't going to meet a Dec. 2018 federal deadline to install Positive Train Control, a computer and radio based system that stops or slows a train if the operator doesn't obey signals or speed limits.

"I was told informally we were very far behind, I asked if I should get involved," he said.

Santoro reiterated that NJ Transit will meet the deadline, but admitted that a contractor was behind delivering PTC equipment and software to be installed on trains. The contractor, Parsons, is supposed to deliver a "recovery plan" by the end of the month, he said.

"It is our expectation we'll meet the Dec. 2018 deadline, but it will depend on the contractor's recovery plan," he said.

"I'd prefer not to ride the system," Baretta said when asked about his confidence in riding the agencies buses and trains. "I wouldn't put my son on the system."

He said the agency is missing a lot of key positions that have not been filled, including engineers to operate trains, and this has resulted in cancellations.



Additionally, Barretta said NJ Transit has a "culture of (employees) going along with what political appointees want or get out."

In response to Barretta's comments, Executive Director Steven Santoro questioned how the former compliance officer could come to such conclusions in the short time he was at the agency.

"From his testimony, It's a wonder how we operate at all," he said. "How can he make that determination after being with us for a few months?"

Barretta was terminated and suspended for "significant misuse of his (NJ Transit) vehicle," Santoro said.

But that reason didn't sound convincing to Assemblyman John McKeon, D-Morris, who is committee co-chairman, especially after other officials said Barretta was let go for initially not returning an NJ Transit laptop. Barretta provided a receipt that NJ Transit received the laptop.

"To say you got rid of him because he misused his car, is that the best you've got?," he said. "That's abhorrent."

In other testimony, two labor and civil rights lawyers said the agency has done little to address discrimination which has cost taxpayers millions of dollars to defend and settle lawsuits.

Attorneys who represented African-American police officers and rail employees who successfully sued NJ Transit for discrimination said the agency was unwilling to make institutional changes to prevent future lawsuits.

"(NJ Transit's) Equal Opportunity Office sat back and did nothing about it, and this was after a $1 million verdict," said attorney Nancy Erika Smith, who represented 10 African American police officers who sued the agency and it's former police chief in 2009. "We first talked about making institution change before we talked about money...the state refused to discuss it."

Another case where eight rail employees sued for discrimination cost NJ Transit $3.65 million in a settlement reached last year.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.