file photo Boyd Loving
Reader says: Let’s take a lesson from NJ Transit and install GPS tracking devices on all Village of Ridgewood owned vehicles.
NJ Transit disciplines 10 workers after using GPS to root out fraud, waste and abuse
MAY 5, 2014, 10:07 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, MAY 5, 2014, 10:49 PM
BY KAREN RO– USE
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Ten NJ Transit employees have been disciplined — including three who were fired and one who was suspended for 30 days — after the agency installed GPS tracking devices in its vehicles as part of a $500,000 program to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse.
NJ Transit is among a growing number of public and private entities turning to GPS — the Global Positioning System, a technology that relies on satellite and radio signals – to track vehicles and employee productivity and behavior. The agency outfitted 480 vehicles with the technology. The New Jersey Department of Transportation more than two years ago installed GPS on its maintenance fleet to keep tabs on where vehicles are located, as well as when drivers are speeding or parked for too long. And Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced last year that the city would install GPS in public works vehicles to increase accountability and save fuel.
“This was a proactive, cost-savings initiative taken by NJ Transit,” said NJ Transit spokesman John Durso Jr., who confirmed the disciplinary actions after an inquiry from The Record.
Durso said that in the roughly six months since GPS was installed, the agency has already seen a dramatic drop in usage of its fleet, which includes such vehicles as the Toyota Prius, Ford Focus, Jeep Liberty and Dodge Stratus.
“This includes a 40 percent drop in hours used, and a 31 percent drop in gallons of fuel used,” Durso said.
He said the fleet logged 108,655 hours from January to March of 2013, compared with 68,069 hours for the same three-month period in 2014. Fuel usage, meanwhile, dropped from 9,314 gallons to 7,099 for the period.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-transit-disciplines-10-workers-after-using-gps-to-root-out-fraud-waste-and-abuse-1.1009385#sthash.49XmcXKx.dpuf
Any village vehicle with an onboard computer already has this
It would be a good idea to have this ‘live’ online so the residents could take a look anytime and see where the vehicles are.
Yes, but the GPS tracking devices on the police cars have not been activated because the PBA objected to such a plan. Wonder why?
Install GPS in public works vehicles to increase accountability and save fuel ? 40% drop in usage of the fleet ? Yes, please. We need more ideas like this. Why do RPD officers get to use our cars and cellphones for their extra-duty work with NJ Transit, Verizon and PSE&G ? And why aren’t GPS tracking devices activated in police cars ? Sounds like that should be changed in the new 2014/15 CBAs.
PBA takes care of there own besides you may find out where they sleep while on duty.
I’d love to see the number of hours cops watched their kids sporting events around town while in uniform.
I’ve often wondered how much Village gasoline goes “missing” and ends up in the private vehicles of its employees?
How about not running the trucks at the recycling center all day – there’s an instant fuel savings.
Those trucks seem to be running whenever I go there, weekdays and weekends.
#7 the last guy who did that was caught and fired I believe.
Ask Rica. Wasn’t he using a Vilkage car to plunder the treasure from our parking meters ?
#3 your misinformed, the subject was never brought up before the PBA so they couldn’t object to it if they wanted to. Furthermore if the town wanted to do it the pba would have no say in the matter.
Probably not too many since most of them live out of town.
Sadly Its ‘just a job’ not a ‘community’ thing anymore.
#12 – the ones with kids living in Ridgewood spend alot of time in uniform at their kids games. I’ve seen it plenty of times. With that said, I also think it’s a good thing for other kids to see a cops in a parental role; I think it makes the cop more approachable if I kid should need them. So there’s an upside to this situation.
So why doesn’t the Village activate the GPS tracking in police cars then ?
The last guy who was caught doing that was fired I believe.
There. Fixed it for you.
#15 said…..The last guy who was caught doing that was fired I believe.
The last guy, who was caught doing that, was fired I believe.
There, I Fixed that for you……you can thank me later.
I agree there is an upside to this situation if the residents actually got to know the officers who work here.
The cops should be required to live in town.
They can certainly afford it and if they are married and their wife…er… ‘partner’ works…they can live in any neighborhood very comfortably.
Maybe management doesn’t want to know of any problems because then management would have to take action. See no evil, hear no evil.