Traffic-camera company executive suspended

It looks as if "W Howard" has some explaining to do at the traffic-enforcement camera company where he works in Arizona.

We wrote Wednesday about evidence that somebody who frequently posted on Heraldnet in support of traffic enforcement cameras -- somebody who passed himself off as a local -- likely is Bill Kroske, vice president of business development at American Traffic Solutions, Inc. The company supplies traffic enforcement camera services in Lynnwood and Seattle.

On Tuesday, an ATS spokesman didn't do much to address the questions raised by what we found. He said that only the company speaks on its behalf. Period.

This afternoon, however, the spokesman called to share a message from James Tuton, president and CEO of the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based ATS.

Here it is, unedited:

"I wanted to take an opportunity to clarify the position of ATS regarding the alleged recent actions of one of our employees. We appreciate this issue being brought to our attention and want to be clear: we do not encourage or condone the kind of behavior your investigation seems to have uncovered. ATS is disappointed and embarrassed by these actions. Such a lack of disclosure violates not only ATS company policy, but also our core values. While we share in the commenter's passion for red light safety cameras, we also recognize the importance of honest engagement. The employee in question has been suspended indefinitely pending further investigation. Furthermore, we are taking steps to make sure all of our employees know that this type of activity is unacceptable."

Here's hoping the traffic-camera company's investigation will determine just how many websites may have been the target of similar undercover operations by their employees.