Many D.C. Red-Light Cameras Broken

Adam Tuton, chief operating officer of ATS, said his firm's findings are not related to the appeal. "Before we can accept any camera, it has to be in fully operating condition. To date, a significant number of cameras don't meet that condition," he said.

The police department oversees the network of cameras throughout the city. Mendelson said the department also might be at fault for inadequate oversight. He sent a letter to Acting Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier yesterday, asking about the status of the cameras.

The memorandum "suggests that nobody has been paying attention to this contract," he said.

Last month, the Office of the D.C. Auditor faulted the District Department of Transportation for its poor supervision of the ACS contract for parking meters. Auditors issued a report, citing missing and broken meters and showing that ACS's management of the meters drove up costs by nearly $9 million from 1999 to 2005.

The city had renewed the ACS contract for the meters in October, and transportation chief Emeka C. Moneme vowed that his department would do a better job of monitoring ACS. "The contract is only as good as the contract manager," he said during a hearing last month.

Norman Dong, a vice president at ACS, said in an e-mail yesterday that the audit is "flawed" and that his company boosted revenue for the city.

But council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) said he had been troubled by the city's continued relationship with ACS.

"Coupled with the ACS performance on parking meters, this doubles my concern," he said. "Not only has their performance been poor on parking meters but on red-light cameras. . . . We have given them once again a major contract [for meters]. There's something very wrong here."