In 2019, an organization referred to as BusPatrol tried to promote the administration of then-Mayor Invoice de Blasio on a system of faculty bus site visitors enforcement cameras that might goal scofflaw drivers who ignore the cease indicators that swing out throughout pick-ups and drop-offs of youngsters.
The town Division of Transportation wasn’t , at one level stating that the company was “strongly” in opposition to the concept, insisting that current velocity cameras put in across the metropolis are way more efficient in selling avenue security.
BusPatrol’s quest seemed to be useless within the water. Then Eric Adams acquired elected mayor.
The corporate raised $30,000 for Adams’ inauguration at a late-2021 occasion attended by the soon-to-be-mayor. Adams heard their pitch and informed them to achieve out after he arrived at Metropolis Corridor, in response to two individuals of the occasion.
Inside months, BusPatrol had snagged a number of conferences with Deputy Mayor for Public Security Philip Banks III. The corporate acquired essential help from Banks’ chief of operations, Justin Meyers — who occurred to be a longtime shut buddy of a BusPatrol government named Stephen Randazzo.
Workplace of Public Security Chief of Operations Justin Meyers holds a public security briefing at Metropolis Corridor, June 23, 2023. Credit score: Caroline Rubinstein-Willis/Mayor
BusPatrol in the end acquired right into a pilot program Banks ordered set as much as take a look at out their cameras, boosting their probabilities of profitable an enormous metropolis contract that the Division of Transportation is now making ready to award. As for Meyers: instantly upon leaving Metropolis Corridor he took a top-level job at BusPatrol that spiked his $211,000 metropolis wage to between $350,000 and $400,000 yearly, a supply accustomed to the matter informed THE CITY.
This behind-the-scenes reversal of fortune with somewhat assist from a buddy performed out within the Adams administration, underneath continued scrutiny for insiders utilizing the ability of their public workplace for private acquire.
A number of prime aides to the mayor have resigned in the middle of investigations of doable corruption associated to metropolis contracts, municipal leases and marketing campaign fundraising. That features Banks brothers Philip and David, whose relationships with the mayor predate their time in Metropolis Corridor.
Each brothers are topics of a federal and metropolis probe that includes an organization referred to as Saferwatch, which had unsuccessfully lobbied Phil and David to undertake an app for college security. After the agency employed their youthful brother Terence Banks, Phil Banks ordered up a take a look at pilot program for the app within the public colleges run by David, with plans to broaden to a much bigger contract.
All three Banks brothers had their telephones confiscated by federal and metropolis legislation enforcement in September, and Saferwatch obtained a subpoena. (Phil Banks’ legal professional Benjamin Brafman has mentioned he’s by no means been informed his shopper is a goal. Xavier Donaldson, legal professional for David Banks, didn’t reply to THE CITY’s requests for remark). Bus Patrol will not be identified to be a part of that investigation.
Metropolis ethics guidelines prohibit public servants from utilizing or trying to make use of their place to “obtain any financial gain, contract, license, privilege or other private or personal advantage, direct or indirect” for themselves or for rapid relations or anybody with whom they’ve monetary ties.
Metropolis Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn), who chairs the Council’s Authorities Operations committee, mentioned Meyers’ help of BusPatrol earlier than he was provided a job by them seems to conflict with that rule.
“This is the latest example of senior Adams administration officials who are focused on enriching themselves rather than delivering for New Yorkers,” Restler mentioned. “What he has done appears to already be illegal…to accept a position with a firm that’s involved in a matter that you worked on when you were with the city.”
Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn) poses a query, Might 1, 2024. Credit score: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Meyers referred THE CITY’s inquiries to BusPatrol. Former Deputy Mayor Banks and Randazzo didn’t return THE CITY’s calls.
Shut Connections
BusPatrol’s journey from zero to hero at Metropolis Corridor started in 2019, the yr the state handed a legislation permitting native governments to place enforcement cameras in class buses.
Suffolk County embraced the corporate’s cameras straight away, awarding BusPatrol its first main contract in New York. The corporate then turned to a good greater market — New York Metropolis.
At first, it didn’t go effectively.
At a December 2019 Metropolis Council listening to, BusPatrol’s then-CEO, Jean Souliere, testified concerning the agency’s capacity to catch scofflaws, arguing that their cameras would make the town safer. Then Monty Dean, chief of workers to the Division of Transportation’s chief working officer, stepped as much as the microphone, presenting a dramatically totally different viewpoint.
DOT “recommends strongly against” placing cease arm cameras on faculty buses, Dean mentioned, including, “Although passing a school bus with its stop arm engaged is illegal, there have been no deaths in New York City caused by this action nor is it a significant cause of serious injuries.”
As an alternative, Dean informed the committee, DOT would proceed to concentrate on bettering site visitors security by growing the variety of velocity cameras across the metropolis, together with close to colleges, noting, “Speeding is among the leading driver actions that kills and injures New Yorkers.” Knowledge on deaths and accidents drives enforcement, Dean mentioned, “whether identifying locations in need of safety enhancement or driver behaviors to target for enforcement.”
The corporate fared higher as soon as Adams was elected.
First BusPatrol hosted a December 2021 fundraiser for the soon-to-be mayor’s transition committee organized by the lobbyist agency Moonshot Methods. BusPatrol officers made a presentation to Adams about their cameras, and Adams informed the agency to achieve out to Metropolis Corridor as soon as he took workplace, in response to two individuals who spoke to THE CITY on the situation of anonymity. The occasion raised $30,000, half of which the Adams transition committee returned to donors as a result of the committee had maxed out on how a lot it may spend.
With Adams at Metropolis Corridor, the connection between Randazzo and Meyers quickly grew to become essential to the corporate’s gross sales effort.
The boys had been shut mates for greater than a decade, with Meyers appearing as a member of Randazzo’s marriage ceremony occasion. They each had just lately left jobs in Suffolk County authorities: Randazzo for County Govt Steve Bellone, Meyers for District Lawyer Tim Sini. Throughout that point, Randazzo helped clinch the county’s choice to ink a significant contract with BusPatrol, which generated $45 million in income for the agency in 2022 and 2023 mixed. (BusPatrol collects a share of every violation.)
Randazzo left his job as Assistant Deputy Suffolk County Govt in February 2022 and went to work for BusPatrol. Meyers give up his job with the DA in November 2021, coinciding with Sini’s defeat in a reelection bid, and began as Banks’ chief of workers in mid-January 2022.
Sini is now in personal apply, the place his purchasers embody BusPatrol. Sini additionally represents Terence Banks within the ongoing federal and metropolis probes over his Metropolis Corridor dealings along with his brothers David and Philip. He declined repeated requests for remark.
Conflicting Timelines
Bus Patrol’s first interplay with Metropolis Corridor was organized by Moonshot Methods. The corporate made their case on March 22, 2022, through Zoom to Philip and David Banks, in response to Philip Banks’ official schedule.
Deputy Mayor for Public Security Phil Banks walks into Metropolis Corridor, Oct. 1, 2024. Credit score: Alex Krales/THE CITY
A BusPatrol spokesperson mentioned Meyers didn’t reveal his ties to Randazzo till greater than a yr later, when he realized Banks was concerned with placing cameras in buses, however a participant in that preliminary assembly mentioned Banks knew concerning the relationship from the beginning.
Throughout that Zoom session, BusPatrol officers occurred to say that their cameras have been working in Suffolk County faculty buses, in response to a participant. Deputy Mayor Banks, conscious of Meyers’ prior job, directed Meyers to hitch the Zoom name, which he did, informing everybody within the digital assembly — together with his boss — how he’d identified Randazzo for years, the participant mentioned.
Quickly Randazzo changed Moonshot as BusPatrol’s lobbyist, itemizing himself as BusPatrol’s “executive vice president Government Relations and Customer Experience” and describing his lobbying mission as “discussion regarding the capabilities of BusPatrol technology” with the town.
A second assembly between BusPatrol and Philip Banks befell that July, this time in individual. Meyers and Randazzo attended. A 3rd assembly showing on Banks’ schedule, held Aug. 2, 2022, listed “School Bus Patrol Safety” and famous Meyers’ participation.
BusPatrol claims Banks didn’t inform him that he was behind making an attempt out the cameras till a lot later, however a participant in that August 2022 assembly mentioned that whereas Banks didn’t sign his help for BusPatrol per se, he did state that he was all in for placing safety cameras on metropolis faculty buses.
Meyers then gave BusPatrol one other potential increase of help throughout a February 2023 presentation on using know-how to enhance public security that he made to Banks and the mayor.
The presentation, in response to BusPatrol officers, included a PowerPoint recommending using many tech gadgets, together with drones and license plate readers. Meyers particularly famous that cameras in class buses might be used to look at surrounding site visitors to offer a “real time” view of New York through the town’s 9,000 faculty bus routes throughout the 5 boroughs.
On the time Meyers made this presentation, Deputy Mayor Banks had already voiced help for the town making an attempt out a stop-arm digicam program and his official schedule exhibits he seems to have met with just one firm that would function such a program: BusPatrol.
A college bus drives its route by means of Crown Heights Friday morning, Jan. 31, 2025. Credit score: Alex Krales/THE CITY
Contending that Meyers didn’t be taught of Deputy Mayor Banks’ curiosity in placing cameras in buses till round March 2023, BusPatrol spokesperson, Tony Sclafani, mentioned that at that time, Meyers disclosed the complete extent of his relationship with BusPatrol staff to Banks, the mayor’s normal counsel and the town Conflicts of Curiosity Board (COIB).
“When Justin was made aware that City Hall was interested in exploring Stop Arm Enforcement, Justin immediately disclosed his relationships with BusPatrol employees to COIB and the general counsel’s office, seeking guidance from both. Justin followed the guidance and went above and beyond the recommended restrictions, holding himself to the highest level of integrity during his brief tenure in New York City,” Sclafani mentioned. (Meyers labored at Metropolis Corridor for greater than 20 months).
Round April 2023 Randazzo requested Meyers if he was contemplating taking a personal sector job, the BusPatrol spokesperson mentioned. Whereas the spokesperson mentioned Randazzo didn’t explicitly invite him to use to the agency, by that June Meyers had landed a job interview with BusPatrol’s CEO.
Metropolis staff are prohibited from negotiating for any place with any agency that’s concerned in a specific matter with the town “while the employee is actively considering, or is directly concerned or personally participating in such a particular matter on behalf of the city.”
A spokesperson for BusPatrol informed THE CITY Meyers didn’t break that rule as a result of, they are saying, he didn’t start job discussions with BusPatrol till after he was now not helping them of their interactions with Metropolis Corridor. The spokesperson additionally emphasised Meyers was by no means concerned within the implementation of the pilot program.
Meyers, nevertheless, seems to have had a minimum of one assembly with a prime member of Adams’ staff, after he left Metropolis Corridor and started working for BusPatrol: Colleges Chancellor David Banks. Banks official schedule lists a Nov. 28, 2023 assembly with Meyers — two months after Meyers had began his new job at BusPatrol.
Metropolis ethics guidelines bar former public servants from showing earlier than the town “in relation to any particular matter” involving the identical occasion “with respect to which particular matter the public servant…had participated personally and substantially as a public servant through decision, approval, recommendation, investigation or other similar activities.”
Colleges Chancellor David Banks speaks on the opening of the newly renovated P.S. 487 within the South Bronx, Sept. 4, 2024. Credit score: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
David Banks’ legal professional, Donaldson, referred THE CITY’s questions on this assembly to the Division of Training. The DOE didn’t reply to THE CITY’s questions on it, and BusPatrol declined to touch upon it.
By then the Division of Transportation had launched the pilot program, assigning the duty to a nonprofit, New York Metropolis Faculty Bus Umbrella Providers, that operates 800 faculty buses. Officers on the nonprofit say they contacted a number of firms focusing on safety providers, however solely two responded — Verra Mobility, which already had a DOT contract to function the town’s cease mild cameras, and BusPatrol. BusPatrol’s cameras have been then positioned on 30 buses. NYCSSBUS’ level of contact with BusPatrol was Randazzo.
‘Potential to Expand’
Former Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison informed THE CITY that he was conscious of the county’s adoption of the college bus digicam system when he ran the division and noticed each an excellent and unhealthy facet to it.
The existence of the cameras may dissuade drivers from passing stopped faculty buses, and the cameras may help detectives in investigations reminiscent of by capturing pictures of topics fleeing the scene of a criminal offense, Harrison mentioned. However Harrison, a former top-level NYPD chief who’s now an government at a personal safety agency, additionally famous the cameras may doubtlessly have a disproportionate influence on Black and brown communities that rely extra closely on faculty buses.
Harrison additionally raised issues about the best way a BusPatrol government and a prime mayoral aide who have been longtime mates labored collectively because the agency sought to win backing to position its cameras in New York Metropolis faculty buses.
“Is this something where they are looking to protect children that are traveling back and forth to school or is this an attempt by an administration to try to make some monetary gain out of this whole thing?” he mentioned. “That’s what needs to be looked at — if it’s for the right reasons and making sure it’s not some connections to make some backdoor business deals, then it’s good for the city.”
In September the push to place stop-arm cameras in class buses moved from the pilot stage to the contract stage when DOT — abandoning its prior objections — issued a public discover requesting proposals to place the gadgets on 250 buses, with “potential to expand in the future.” Fines are at the moment set at $250 for the primary violation and as much as $300 for every repeat incident.
The BusPatrol spokesperson mentioned Meyers had nothing to do with the drafting of the request for proposals.
Not like Suffolk County, New York Metropolis doesn’t do income sharing for site visitors enforcement and is making ready to pay the profitable vendor outright.
The BusPatrol spokesperson wouldn’t say if the agency put in a bid, however its representatives attended a Sept. 18 pre-proposal session with DOT, data present.
The solicitation led to December. The Division of Transportation has but to announce which contractor it should choose.
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