Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration failed to address issues with New Orleans’ traffic camera program that were identified by the city’s Inspector General six years ago, according to a follow-up report issued Thursday by Inspector General Ed Michel.
The city has failed to establish a system for returning money to overcharged drivers, racking up $770,000 in overpayments in recent years, the report found. The report also found the New Orleans Police Department reviewed the majority of citations — 68% — within 10 seconds, raising concerns about whether violations have been adequately verified before drivers are issued a fine.
The report found that there have been “notable improvements” on some of the problems highlighted in an OIG report on the program issued in 2020, which found that insufficient oversight by the city’s Department of Public Works and the New Orleans Police Department led the city to improperly ticket drivers and then fail to provide refunds…