March/April 2020

PE Report
Board Disciplines Engineer for Red-Light Installation

North Carolina’s licensing board has suspended the license of a professional engineer for misconduct related to red-light camera installation in the state.

The suspension stems from a 2018 investigation of American Traffic Solutions by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors. The board concluded that the firm violated the law when it installed red-light cameras and produced survey data without a license to practice in the state. The board initially cited the firm for installation of cameras in 2009 in Wilmington.

North Carolina law specifies that a corporation or business can’t practice engineering unless it is licensed by the state board and has paid an application fee. The firm is subject to the same responsibilities as an individual licensee, and this does not affect the requirement that all engineering or land surveying work done by the firm should be performed by or under the responsible charge of an individual licensee.

Robert Rennebaum, P.E., was hired as a consultant by American Traffic Solutions to certify plans related to red-light camera installation in Greenville, according to a January 14 Port City Daily article.

The board’s documents show that Rennebaum was notified in May 2019 that the board determined that he affixed his seal to work not performed under his supervisory control and failed to comply with standard certification requirements by not including the date of signing, failing to include the address on documents, and failing to include the firm’s license number on documents. The board issued a reprimand and civil penalty of $5,000. Rennebaum was also ordered to pass an ethics course within six months of the notification.

Rennebaum was notified in December that the board suspended his license for failure to show proof of taking the ethics course. The suspension will remain until he complies with the order.

North Carolina isn’t the only jurisdiction that has dealt with recent misconduct related to red-light cameras. In August, the Colorado licensing board issued a cease and desist order to Redflex Traffic Systems for providing professional services to the city and county of Denver in July 2008 in violation of state engineering law. An individual found to be practicing engineering without a license in Colorado can be imprisoned for up to a year on a first offense.