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Jaime
Wheeler
| Denver
Crawford
| Wilf
Hathway
Traffic cops took favours
for six years, say RCMP
Karen Kleiss and Charles Rusnell, The Edmonton Journal, Saturday,
February 18, 2006
EDMONTON - Two Edmonton police
officers allegedly produced misleading documents and made false
statements to help an American company get an untendered $90-million
photo radar contract.
Information obtained by The
Journal Friday also alleges Det. Tom Bell and Staff Sgt. Kerry
Nisbet:
- interfered with research
into a new photo radar program that might replace traffic officers
-- a program now being proposed by the province;
- accepted rewards, advantages
or benefits in Alberta, across Canada and in the United States;
- accepted those rewards for
six years, from Jan. 1, 1998 to June 14, 2004.
The RCMP on Wednesday charged
Bell, 47, former head of Edmonton's photo-radar program, and
Nisbet, 49, former head of the city police traffic section, with
breach of trust and accepting secret commissions.
Dallas-based Affiliated Computer
Services (ACS) and its Canadian subsidiary, ACS Public Sector
Solutions Inc., were charged with offering secret commissions.
All charges carry penalties of up to five years in prison.
For the first time, the court
documents show the extent of the alleged illegal activity undertaken
by the two sworn city police officers in exchange for benefits
provided by ACS.
In charges sworn by RCMP Sgt.
Robert Naas, it is alleged that between Jan. 1, 2002, and June
14, 2004, Bell and Nisbet committed a breach of trust while working
as police officers by "authoring and submitting documents
and by making statements containing false and misleading information
recommending (ACS) be awarded a sole-source contract for the
provision of a photo-enforcement system."
RCMP further allege that between
April 1, 2002, and April 30, 2003, Bell and Nisbet committed
a breach of trust by "wrongfully interfering with
Edmonton Police Service operations
designed to research the effectiveness and productivity of the
speed on green program as compared to uniformed member enforcement."
Sources familiar with the speed
on green program told The Journal Friday it involves making red-light
cameras capable of functioning as photo-radar cameras. A source
said the city police force conducted testing to ensure the accuracy
of these dual-use cameras and provided those tests to the province.
Earlier this month, several
provincial government departments proposed a number of traffic
safety reforms, one of which was the potential implementation
of the dual-use cameras to catch motorists who speed through
intersections. It is not known if any of the speed on green research
involving Bell and Nisbet was considered by the government.
Both officers have been charged
with breach of trust and accepting a secret commission in Alberta,
across Canada and in several American states. A source familiar
with the case told The Journal it is alleged the two men travelled
at ACS expense to several North American cities to endorse the
ACS photo-radar system.
The document alleges the officers
accepted the benefits from Jan. 1, 1998, to June 14, 2004, from
ACS and its predecessors, Lockheed Martin and Canadian Public
Technologies. Affiliated Computer Services bought the Edmonton
photo radar contract from Lockheed Martin in August 2001.
The charges against Bell and
Nisbet stem from a 19-month RCMP investigation into allegations
that three traffic officers accepted perks from ACS. On the recommendation
of the police department, the city granted the company an untendered
photo radar contract worth an estimated $90 million over 20 years.
The controversy over the contract
started in April 2004 when an anonymous e-mail alleged that three
officers involved in providing the recommendation accepted a
free trip to Las Vegas and other perks from the company.
Their report said ACS was the
only company that could provide the necessary equipment. Other
photo radar companies disputed that claim.
More questions arose when the
police commission learned the contract required ACS to pay 50
cents from every photo radar ticket to a separate bank account
controlled by a police officer and an official from the company.
More than $400,000 flowed into
that bank account between 1999 and 2004, none of it reported
in the police budget.
The city suspended the contract
pending the outcome of the RCMP investigation and ACS now supplies
photo enforcement services to the city on a month-to-month basis.
Bell and Nisbet are expected
to make their first court appearance Wednesday. The company's
first hearing date is March 27.
kkleiss@thejournal.canwest.com
crusnell@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2006
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