Two traffic engineers in Los Angeles pleaded guilty to tampering with traffic controls at four major intersections in the city just prior to a union walkout related to the City’s contract negotiations with the Engineers and Architects Association. During the walkout, the City blocked employee access to the system. The men admitted to sending commands that disconnected the traffic controls on August 21, 2006. The system was not fully repaired for four days.

According to prosecutors, the four intersections were chosen because they would cause significant delays and congestion around major destinations within the city. The engineers programmed the signals to give exceptionally long red lights, which led to gridlock. Further, the pair prevented other engineers from accessing the system to correct the damage. The Automated Traffic Surveillance Center controls about 3,200 of the city’s 4,500 traffic lights.

Initially, the men were charged with seven felonies combined. They each pleaded guilty to a single felony count of illegally accessing a city computer. Under the plea agreement, sentencing for the pair will be delayed by one year. In exchange, the men, who have otherwise exemplary work records, must make full restitution, serve 120 days in jail or complete 240 hours of community service with Caltrans and must permit monitoring of their home and work computers. If they successfully complete the terms, their records will reflect a misdemeanor conviction, which could be expunged later.

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Photo Credit: K.C. Hohensee