More on the NYPD ticket fixing story that I blogged about here.
The New York Times reported today, (24APR11), that the NYPD had devised a system to make it much harder to 'fix' tickets. It involves scanning barcodes and auditing by 'integrity control officers' (Integrity control officers, isn't that an oxymoron? And who watched the integrity control officers to see if they lack 'integrity'? The integrity, integrity control office?)
The tickets' barcodes will be scanned by a "supervisor" before they are given to the officer. The barcodes will be scanned, again, when the officer hands them in. Then the barcodes will be scanned a third time before the tickets are removed from the precinct to be taken to the borough headquarters. Then the tickets will be scanned a fourth time at borough headquarters. What happens after they get to borough headquarters isn't explained.
It seems to me that any system that requires a single ticket be hand scanned no less than four times is bound to have problems.
If I were a supervisor in the NYPD, I can't say I'd really want to spend my days scanning and re-scanning barcodes on tickets.
And, if there is a ticket missing, what then? Are they really going to spend the time to track down one ticket? Out of how many thousands in a day? Is this where the 'integrity officers' come in? Are they the ones who are going to be looking behind desks, in trash cans, desk drawers, etc for the missing tickets?
Want to bet that there will be shortcuts taken? And that many of the 'lost tickets' discovered by hand scanning will never be found. After all, in the grand scheme of things, what is one speeding ticket here or there going to count?
When asked if ticket 'fixing' was widespread in the NYPD, department spokesman Paul J. Brown said it was "not common practice for police officers to engage in such misconduct."
Meanwhile, spokespersons for the police unions said, "ticket-fixing is a longstanding courtesy, not corruption, and suggesting that over the years many requests came from high-ranking police officials and other notables."
So, it appears that the NYPD thinks it isn't common and it is misconduct. While the unions believe it is a "longstanding courtesy" and not corruption. And that "high ranking police officials and other notables" have been doing it for years.
Somehow, if I were a citizen living on New York City, I don't think I would have any more confidence in the new system than I did for the old.
Oh, and, they had this new 'system' worked out last summer. They just didn't implement it. I guess it is good to hold the solution in reserve until the problem becomes public.
The New York Times reported today, (24APR11), that the NYPD had devised a system to make it much harder to 'fix' tickets. It involves scanning barcodes and auditing by 'integrity control officers' (Integrity control officers, isn't that an oxymoron? And who watched the integrity control officers to see if they lack 'integrity'? The integrity, integrity control office?)
The tickets' barcodes will be scanned by a "supervisor" before they are given to the officer. The barcodes will be scanned, again, when the officer hands them in. Then the barcodes will be scanned a third time before the tickets are removed from the precinct to be taken to the borough headquarters. Then the tickets will be scanned a fourth time at borough headquarters. What happens after they get to borough headquarters isn't explained.
It seems to me that any system that requires a single ticket be hand scanned no less than four times is bound to have problems.
If I were a supervisor in the NYPD, I can't say I'd really want to spend my days scanning and re-scanning barcodes on tickets.
And, if there is a ticket missing, what then? Are they really going to spend the time to track down one ticket? Out of how many thousands in a day? Is this where the 'integrity officers' come in? Are they the ones who are going to be looking behind desks, in trash cans, desk drawers, etc for the missing tickets?
Want to bet that there will be shortcuts taken? And that many of the 'lost tickets' discovered by hand scanning will never be found. After all, in the grand scheme of things, what is one speeding ticket here or there going to count?
When asked if ticket 'fixing' was widespread in the NYPD, department spokesman Paul J. Brown said it was "not common practice for police officers to engage in such misconduct."
Meanwhile, spokespersons for the police unions said, "ticket-fixing is a longstanding courtesy, not corruption, and suggesting that over the years many requests came from high-ranking police officials and other notables."
So, it appears that the NYPD thinks it isn't common and it is misconduct. While the unions believe it is a "longstanding courtesy" and not corruption. And that "high ranking police officials and other notables" have been doing it for years.
Somehow, if I were a citizen living on New York City, I don't think I would have any more confidence in the new system than I did for the old.
Oh, and, they had this new 'system' worked out last summer. They just didn't implement it. I guess it is good to hold the solution in reserve until the problem becomes public.
No comments:
Post a Comment