Mayor Kasim Reed’s controversial use of flashing blue lights

ATLANTA — A Channel 2 Action News investigation found that Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed routinely travels using flashing blue lights and screeching sirens.

Channel 2’s Lori Geary spoke with law enforcement officials who said it is a clear violation of the law.

Geary and a team of Channel 2 producers and photographers spent weeks examining the mayor's trips in his city-provided SUV.

They found Reed rushed to non-emergency events as though someone's life was on the line.

Geary showed some of the video to Vincent Champion. He is the Southeast Regional Director for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, and has decades of law enforcement experience.

"To use the lights and sirens the way he's using them, to clear the intersections to get through, is not legal in the state of Georgia by statute," Champion said.

Reed said the use of the lights and sirens is “right and legal.”

"You need to speak to our city attorney because they have a different interpretation of the law," Reed told Geary.

But when Geary requested an interview with the city's attorney, she declined.

Anne Torres, Mayor Reed's director of communication, sent Geary a statement:

“The Atlanta Police Department’s (APD) Executive Protection Unit is responsible for ensuring and monitoring the safety of Mayor Kasim Reed.  Police Department personnel assigned to the Mayor’s Executive Protection Unit receive specialized training in driving based on maintaining security as well as safety. In addition, APD must evaluate threats to the Mayor’s safety based on the information presented, and make strategic decisions to guarantee the security of the Mayor, including measures to facilitate his safe transport as he conducts business on behalf of the City of Atlanta. When necessary, state law authorizes APD to use blue lights and/or sirens, in its discretion, as a security tactic to help keep the Mayor and the citizens of Atlanta safe.”

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Councilwoman under criminal investigation after we uncover trail of fraud

Channel 2's Jodie Fleischer learned a Hapeville city councilwoman accused of stealing more than $100,000 from a family member has a lengthy history of fraud, schemes and complaints that may have cost Georgians millions of tax dollars.

After a month-long investigation, Channel 2 Action News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Georgia's Department of Revenue about Ruth Barr and B&B Accounting and Tax Service, including repeated complaints that she preyed on her tax clients.

The state immediately opened a criminal investigation, alleging Barr prepared thousands of suspicious tax returns which inflated the value of her clients' refunds."

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Fake service animals: 'Like parking in handicap spot when you're not'

Channel 2's Wendy Corona found that some travelers have concerns about other travelers claiming their untrained pets are emotional support animals just so they can fly for free.

“It’s not fair to the other passengers. It’s not fair to the crew. It’s just really sad,” Sergio Oliveria said.

Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, says they have seen an increase in both trained and untrained animals in the last four or five years.

And it’s not just dogs.

“We’ve gotten reports of animals on board, anything from a pig, to a rooster to a goose,” Nelson said.

She told Channel 2’s Wendy Corona that untrained animals pose a serious safety risk.

“They could impede exit of passengers who need to get off the plane very quickly,” Nelson said.

It’s easy to buy a service animal vest.

Channel 2 Action News bought one online for $99.

A Channel 2 Action News producer filled out an online survey, and paid $149, and got a letter, allowing him to travel with an emotional support animal from a licensed therapist.

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Protect your car: Rodents eating wires in newer vehicles

Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Jim Strickland found the connection between vermin and your vehicle.

Many cars have wiring under the hood that’s wrapped in insulation made from soybeans. That makes the insulation eco-friendly, but apparently also makes it a tasty treat for rodents.

One local dealer said they have at least one vehicle per week come into the shop with chewed-up wiring.

Repairs to vehicles can range from a couple hundred dollars all the way up to thousands.

In August 2010, Honda alerted dealers about a special rodent-deterrent tape available to wrap under hood wiring.

One connector has been chewed so often, the car maker sends it to dealerships pre-wrapped in the special tape.

• READ FULL STORY HERE

More free water: Channel 2 discovers millions in uncollected water bills

Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Richard Belcher discovered that the city of Atlanta is giving away $500,000 in water and sewer services every month.

The Department of Watershed Management initially refused to release the records to Channel 2 Action News.

The records are public and reviewable by anyone submitting a request under the Georgia Open Records Act. After a three-month battle -- in which WSB-TV threatened legal action -- the city finally relented.

The data reveals the city's mistakes in billing cost millions every year.

It's an embarrassing time for Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management.

Belcher broke the story in July of a luxury high-rise condominium building in Buckhead that wasn't fully billed for water and sewer for more than 14 years.

After initially saying they would not back-bill the building, Watershed Management officials backtracked and sent a demand letter for nearly $500,000 and has sent demands to another 10 major accounts for an additional $2.5 million.

Now Belcher has learned thousands of residential and commercial accounts considered vacant by the city have been using water services for years and not receiving a bill.

• READ FULL STORY HERE.

Cox Media Group