3,400 Edmonton red light tickets invalid

Almost $1 million in red light tickets issued by Edmonton police between late September and early January are invalid because of a printing error, police said Friday.

But the motorists who were caught running red lights by the automated cameras won't get off, because police are re-issuing the 3,400 tickets.

"Of course it's embarrassing whenever something like this happens," Staff Sgt. Bill Horne, with the Edmonton police traffic section, admitted.

"But it's something we wanted to get on top of. [WE] have fixed the problem and have no concerns about it happening in the future," he said.

Theglitch occurred when the printing company processed the tickets with the wrong name for the verifying officer. Under provincial legislation, police are allowed to re-issue tickets as long as its done within six months, he added.

Motorists affected, and who have not yet paid their $287 tickets, will be getting new ones in the mail, with the correct information printed on them.

Citytaking over photo radar, red light cameras

Meanwhile, the City of Edmonton is in the midst of taking over the operation of photo radar and red light cameras from Affiliated Computer Services, based in Dallas. The company was accused of offering bribes to two Edmonton police officers to get its $90-million contract with the city.

In November, a provincial court judge dismissed charges against the company, saying there was insufficient evidence to go to trial.

Staff Sgt. Kerry Nisbet, one of the two officers involved in the allegations, was cleared of breach of trust in September. He was accused of interfering with the testing of equipment owned by ACS.

But the other, Sgt. Thomas Edmund Bell, is scheduled to go to trial on one count of breach of trust for producing misleading documents and false statements in helping ACS obtain the contract.