Red-Light Tickets Based on Fraud, Says Lawsuit

Emails reveal camera-vendor employees illegally approved citations under a police officer's name and without his knowledge

A police officer in Riverdale Park, Maryland refuses to be a party to fraud. According to a class action lawsuit filed yesterday in Prince George's County Circuit Court, Corporal Clayton Alford was put in the position of having his name signed to speed camera citations that he did not review. The suit seeks to nullify every photo ticket the town and for-profit vendor Optotraffic issued since the program began in 2010. That could cost the town significant cash as the cameras brought in $1.9 million in revenue last year—thirty percent of Riverdale Park's budget.