Illinois: Chicago Still Trying To Withhold Ticket Camera Emails (Rahm's private emails)

the Newspaper ^ | 12/08/2015 | n/a

[Ken H]

Chicago, Illinois mayor uses private email accounts to hide conversations about controversial photo enforcement program.

The city of Chicago, Illinois is doing everything it can to keep the local newspaper from getting a hold of documents related to the controversial red light camera and speed camera programs. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kathleen M. Pantle heard motions from city lawyers last week designed to delay the process.

Back in June, Chicago Tribune reporter David Kidwell filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking six months' worth of emails to or from Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) discussing automated ticketing. The request also sought two months' worth of telephone and cell phone call logs in which Emanuel discussed public business. Both requests sought communications made on city-issued and personally owned devices, in accordance with Illinois laws.

For the request covering sixty days of emails, Emanuel provided 139 messages from his official accounts. Sixty-nine of those emails were event invitations and six were "test" messages. The Tribune argued that this suggests Emanuel has been using a personal email account to evade accountability under FOIA.

"During this two month period therefore, the mayor of a major metropolis claims he sent at most 64 potentially substantive emails from his official city accounts, a number that appears surprisingly low, if the mayor is using these official accounts as his only mode of electronic communication," Tribune attorney Natalie J. Spears wrote.

The city refused to comply with the email request, claiming that it would be "unduly burdensome" to produce over 2000 responsive emails. The city's reluctance is understandable considering the Tribune's investigative reporting blew the whistle on the $2 million bribery scheme involving its red light camera vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia. The Tribune responded by suing the city in September.

"In recent years, Tribune's FOIA requests directed to the office of the mayor have been met with a pattern of non-compliance, partial compliance, delay and obfuscation," Spears wrote. "Contributing to a lack of transparency is the use of personal email accounts and phone lines, rather than government-issued phones and accounts, in conducting government business, which on information and belief Mayor Emanuel does."

The Tribune's court filing compared Emanuel's use of private emails to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server to conduct official business. Emanuel was a top policy aide in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1998.

[Chgogal]

Is there anywhere in the country that does not suffer those revenue making cameras?

[Jonty30]

In my community, they’ve started bringing in cameras that check to see if you stopped properly. Stop, count to three, then go. If you don’t do that, you get a ticket for failure to stop properly.

$400.

[vette6387]

Here’s what they do to speed cameras (called GATSOs) in the UK:

http://www.redditmirror.cc/cache/websites/www.speedcam.co.uk_adyvb/www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm

I particularly like the term “setting them alight!”

[Chgogal]

Where do you live?

[Jonty30]

Unfortunately, the ones in my community are too high and on too busy of roads to do this too. Otherwise, it is tempting.

[Jonty30]

I live in Edmonton, Alberta. I work in a small town outside Edmonton, called Spruce Grove. They got this crap everywhere. They rely on the principle that you will get caught sooner or later.

[Chgogal]

I'll be on my way to Florida for the winter. I was afraid your community is on my way. With all the stop signs, speed bumps, speed and red light cameras we might as well pick up our car and walk it. GRRRRRRRR

[hans56]

Indiana,
So far

[wiggen]

Those emails will contain a bunch of stuff on the video they stopped from going public for over a year. Thats what they’re covering up.

[Gaffer]

Yep....the old tire and gasoline trick. The brits seem to keep making them with an arm that holds a burning tyre quite nicely.

[kelly4c]

I got one in the mail years ago for failing to come to a “complete” stop before making an allowable right hand turn on red into a Target parking lot area, with no other traffic around even. It angers me that it’s just a revnue making thing and has nothing to do with safety much of the time.

[doug from upland]

I think the bigger story here is a government official using private email to avoid transparency. Hillary undoubtedly taught him this trick.

[Chgogal]

It is the bigger issue unless you are the one who is driving to and fro on the streets of Chicago.

[vette6387]

“Yep....the old tire and gasoline trick. The brits seem to keep making them with an arm that holds a burning tyre quite nicely.”

For a country that’s so deeply mired in self-destruction, it’s refreshing to see that there is still an element that will “attack” even this small government intrusion. Not unlike our country, the Brits seem to be at complete odds with their government, and yet they continue to elect the same $hit somehow expecting a different outcome.

[SaveFerris]

Yes, you can bet Rahm Emmanuel is covering up.

I will laugh when they take him down.