Quota Time: Connecticut Troopers May Have Faked 1000s of Citations

As if tagging drivers in a questionable speed trap wasn’t enough, it is being alleged troopers in the Nutmeg State have falsified thousands of traffic tickets.

According to local media, an audit stemming from an internal investigation has apparently uncovered a scheme in which troopers faked upwards of 26,000 tickets over a seven-year period. That’s cause enough for concern but compounded by the allegation that these actions were taken in order to line their own pockets since so-called ‘productive’ troopers are seemingly eligible for federally funded overtime pay.

That sound you hear is lawmakers and the public alike clamoring for answers.

For bringing this shameful practice to light, it seems we can thank one Ken Barone, a person who toils as an associate director at the University of Connecticut. His profile on the school’s website says he is responsible for coordinating data collection and submission from over a hundred law enforcement agencies while also working as a “fair and impartial” police trainer with over 800 students under his tutelage in the past decade. He pushed for the audit which uncovered these allegedly fake tickets.

How the scheme played out hasn’t been made crystal clear to the public at this point, though Barone told local news there’s “no evidence these are real people,” when speaking about the fake tickets. Depending on the details added to the bogus citations, there could also have been a skewing of data about racial profiling and other demographical information. It’s no secret that those holding the levers of power sometimes look to such statistics when planning new roadways or adjusting speed limits, for example.

One officer has already been suspended over the schmozzle, and Governor Ned Lamont is calling for more heads to roll. “It’s also very clear at this point that federal authorities are looking into this as well,” Lamont said to the media. “Not just the troopers who did it, but the supervisors who allowed this to happen, or perhaps encouraged it.” Lawmakers are holding a hearing on July 27 about this scandal. We plan to stay tuned.

[Image: Ford]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.