Arizona red light camera company continues pattern of deception, as if we wouldn’t notice
Just like an obsessed stalker, traffic camera vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) refuses to take NO for an answer! Despite a resounding message from the citizens from Mukilteo, ATS has been overly persistent about its efforts to subvert the will of the citizens of Mukilteo. First, an excessive number of signatures were gathered in a record breaking amount of time, second, the Mukilteo city council voted to put Mukilteo initiative #2 on the ballot and finally, respected superior court judge Michael T. Downes rejected an ATS funded attempt to cut Mukilteo citizens out of the process. Game over right? Well not when there are millions of dollars worth of easy money on the table. The ATS front group “Mukilteo Citizens for Simple Government” is appealing Judge Downes’ decision. ATS wants to install their camera fraud system in Mukilteo and is willing pay any price to achieve their goal. And why wouldn’t they? If they get their way they can stack the deck and use the full force of the law to extract enough money from Mukilteo citizens to cover the costs.
As Washington’s leader in the opposition to photo based traffic enforcement, BanCams.com has worked hard to present ALL of the facts about photo enforcement and present the opposing and non-profit driven perspective about the perils of photo enforcement. In our research we have discovered that ATS has developed a disturbing and nefarious political recipe designed to bypass the democratic process in the event that their attempts to get the city council to do their bidding fail. The recipe goes as follows:
1. Buy the legislative process: ATS has a history of making promises of easy money while promoting bogus statistical data to an unwitting city council. A lot of city councils take ATS’s word as being an objective, expert voice in the field of photo enforcement and do not seek an alternative perspective.
But what if the city council and the people disagree on the matter of photo enforcement and the issue is put up for referendum or initiative? No problem, ATS is prepared for that.
2. Start a front group: A front group is a great way for ATS to make it appear that there are enough people in the community to support an organized effort to promote photo enforcement. In reality ATS simply funds and hides behind a group that bears the name of the community they are trying to move into. This process works to lend credibility to their cause and distracts from the reality that an out of state, private, for profit company is fighting against local citizens on a matter of local public policy. After all you wouldn’t lend a more sympathetic ear to your neighbor’s cause than to that of an out of state, private, for profit company? Some of the front groups for ATS are:
- “Mukilteo Citizens for Simple Government”
- “Keep College Station Safe” – a registered political action committee with a $20,000 contribution from ATS. (Documents 1 2 3 4)
- “Safety Cameras for a Safer Baytown” a registered political action committee (Documents 1 2)
- “Red means Stop” – openly “sponsored” by ATS
- “Keep Houston Safe” – a political action committee
3. Buy the Judicial process: ATS front groups are currently suing to suppress a citizen’s referendum in Houston Texas as well as Mukilteo initiative #2..
4. Buy public opinion: Starting a website is a great way to get your message out and ATS is getting to be an expert at creating websites. They have created so many websites from behind the veil of their front groups, they are starting to look the same. In fact, not only are their websites strikingly familiar to one another, they appear to just copy and paste the text content from one website to the next. This is getting quite routine for ATS.
“Mukilteo Citizens for Simple Government” has a website www.KeepMukilteoSafe.com
Below are some pictures comparing a few of their other websites (all owned by the same company, Advarion, Inc.), not only do they look similar but the text is identical. We offer them as proof that ATS is FULLY funding “Mukilteo Citizens For Simple Government” and that it is just another ATS front group. Why all of the secrecy, why all of the dishonesty, and how much are they paying Christine Preston?
Click the pictures to view full size:
“Frequently Asked Questions” pages – all text identical
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“References” pages – all text identical |
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“Contact Information” pages– all text identical (except for the email addresses)
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“Share your story” pages – all text identical
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BaytownCamerasWork.com had a broken link for this page. |
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If ATS is allowed to operate cameras in Mukilteo, the tickets they issue will have the full force of the law behind them, all evidence against you will have been provided by an organization with a history of deception. The cameras will take pictures of your children and ATS will have access to your DMV records including confidential information.
One thing is for sure, Mukilteo doesn’t need a scandalous organization like ATS operating in their community, especially around their children as is proposed with school zone speed cameras! ATS’s history of deception proves them unfit for Mukilteo where the standard of conduct is much higher and citizens take an active role in creating a great community.
We have great legal representation, from Groen Stephens Law Firm. But we still need your help to pay for the legal fees. Please make a generous donation, $10, $20, $100 or even $1,000, every bit counts. To continue the fight, please make a donation online through our fellow co-sponsor of the initiative, Washington Campaign for Liberty. Or you can make checks payable to: Groen Stephens Law Firm and write Mukilteo Initiative #2 in the“Note” field and send the checks to : Groen Stephens Law Firm – Mukilteo Initiative ; 11100 Northeast 8th Street; Bellevue, WA 98004-4469
We appreciate everything you have done to help us push back Big Brother and create a safer driving experience, people like you really make a difference. We have successfully passed many milestones along our journey to end photo-fraud statewide and we are anxious to report the next victory, thank you for your contribution.
Taxation thru Citation
We are fighting them too in Baytown, TX.
Thanks BanCams.com for supporting us here in Bellingham WA.
Good work and thank you for this website. These cameras have been shown to increase accidents almost everywhere they have been installed. Our local governments don't need another way to tax us. The people need to be heard.
Houston , Texas is a huge market for the cameras. The police and City government said they had not idea these cameras could bring in so much money. Now in November, there is a Proposition #3 on the Ballot to "keep" the cameras that were installed without ever asking the citizens of Houston if they wanted them. Huge money is being spent to campaign to keep them in the name of "safety". YOU want to see who is for them- FOLLOW THE MONEY.
I still haven't seen "Mukilteo Citizens for Simple Government" listed on the campaign finance website for Washington State, isn't this an illegal pac?