Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A resolution to install school bus arm cameras on buses across the Buffalo Public School District was a main point of discussion among local lawmakers in the Buffalo Common Council on Tuesday.
This motion was put forward to chamber floors in an effort to ensure the safety of children across the City of Buffalo as they get on and off buses, to-and-from schools. In addition, the hope of the cameras will be to cut down on impatient motorists passing stopped school buses, and encourage more people to obey vehicle and traffic laws.
Anyone found in violation could face a fine of up to $250.
"We know that children are our most valuable asset, and anybody that passes a school bus should be penalized, and they should be conditioned to obey the laws," said Council Majority Leader David Rivera on Tuesday following the Legislation Committee meeting at City Hall. "Laws are on the books. This is just another mechanism to enforcing the laws."
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"We do need some type of behavioral changing devices to train folks to take into consideration how vulnerable our children are when they are embarking and disembarking on the buses in the morning. Without teaching folks through their pockets, sometimes they fail to learn," added Councilman Ulysses Wingo following Tuesday's meeting. "This is not a money grab, there is no excuse for anyone to say we're going through a pandemic, because we are living in post-pandemic time. So, in my opinion, we do need to do something."
If the resolution receives approval next Tuesday, it'll go before the full Council for a vote. If they approve, the city will enter into a contract with BusPatrol America, which will then implement the school bus arm cameras and, hopefully, reduce and mitigate any potential for kids being injured by vehicles that are passing school buses.
While Tuesday's discussions brought about a number of different questions to the table about the resolution, it seemed like Councilmembers across the board were widely in favor of these new school bus arm cameras to further provide safety and security for students across the city.
While both Rivera and Wingo didn't want to speak for other Councilmembers on the matter, they both believe it's a no-brainer for this resolution to pass.
"They're going to have a robust education period, where folks are going to be notified what the laws are, and hopefully people will be aware, and that would be enough that they don't go past the school buses. But after the 30-day period, or grace period, it'll be implemented if you pass the school buses," Rivera said. "And it's on evidence, it's being recorded. It's going to be reviewed, obviously, by police officers, but it's on camera. If you pass the school bus, it'll be on camera, and shame on the person that passes the school bus."
"I do have a lens of being a parent myself, of children's still going to Buffalo Public Schools who actually do ride the school bus. Even if I didn't, my children already went through the public school busing system. For me, personally, it is a no-brainer," added Wingo. "I will just pray that everyone opens up their hearts and their ears and their minds and their eyes, and see how valuable of a solution this would be to our children as they go to school."
Although both Rivera and Wingo don't believe there's much else to consider with this resolution, the Majority Leader says there are still a few questions with the system that will be answered in short order.
"We talked about the fee, which is $250, which is state law. We talked about the education process, we talked about the appeals process where an officer will look at the video before making a determination. So there's a process for the people to appeal it, but everything is recorded, everything's on tape. That doesn't lie," Rivera said.
While much of what was discussed is self-explanatory, Wingo strongly feels there is no reason for any car to drive past a bus at all, for any reason when the stop signs are extended and the red lights are flashing.
"Even if it is a two-way street, and you're only getting the children, embarking them from the door side of the bus. It does not matter. They should always stop," he said.
There may be some people who claim this new school bus arm camera system is a way for the City of Buffalo to money grab from residents and others who happen to pass a school bus, whether legally or not. It's similar to when residents called for the removal of the school speed zone cameras that were implemented as a way to try and ensure a safer environment for kids going to-and-from school.
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While Rivera admits the rollout of the school zone speed cameras may have been flawed, he says the school bus arm cameras are meant to work only in specific scenarios.
"It's only when the arms are out and kids are being discharged from the bus or getting onto the bus. There are some restrictions there, it's not going to be on all day," Rivera said. "Obviously when the buses aren't moving, those arms won't be out. If there's no children on the buses, the arms won't be out. So I think there's a big difference between both of them."
As for Wingo, he is exhausted from hearing about the folks pushing back with not just the school zone cameras, but also any pushback of the school bus arm cameras that are meant to protect students and discourage anyone from violating the law and endangering anyone.
"More than half of the folks who were getting the tickets did not even live in the City of Buffalo. And then in Masten District, if my memory serves me correctly, the school zone cameras were capturing 95% out of City of Buffalo folks blazing through our school zones. We need something to protect our children, so I'm absolutely in support of it," Wingo said.
"It's all about safety. People were complaining about getting caught breaking the law. That was it. And because they were being childish when we're trying to protect children, but these are adults acting childish complaining about getting caught breaking the law and being upset about being caught breaking the law, there's no excusing that type of behavior. You got caught. And the folks who were the most entitled were not even drivers in the City of Buffalo. We stop for our children. Outside people coming into the city didn't stuff our children, or were speeding through the school zones. So I have no empathy, no sympathy for folks who think this is a money grab. Pay your fine, slow down, stop at the buses. It's that simple."
As for the company that will be partnering with the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Public Schools to provide school bus arm cameras on buses across the district, BusPatrol America, it happens to service about 90% of all the school buses around the country.
"The idea is when people right now are driving around the roads, there isn't a whole lot of enforcement with respect to the school bus stopping law. We don't really have the law enforcement resources, by and large, to police hundreds, if not thousands of school buses and communities," said Executive Vice President of BusPatrol, Steve Randazzo on Tuesday after the Legislation Committee meeting. "We partner with those communities and help provide video evidence packages to law enforcement for them to review to enable photo enforcement around the school bus stopping laws. The hope is to be able to make the roads safer, the children safer, make the ride to-and-from school safer for all students in the City of Buffalo by better enforcing this vital child safety traffic law."
Founded in 2017, BusPatrol's goal is to be cognizant and receptive to the community's concerns, and the company is more than happy to partner with members of local government at all levels to provide safety for all students.
"Some of our largest contracts in the State of New York include both Suffolk and Nassau County on Long Island, Rockland County, Albany County, Monroe County, a couple of cities nearby like Niagara Falls and City of Jamestown and North Tonawanda," Randazzo detailed. "This is something that was passed in New York back in 2019, and now a number of municipalities across the state have implemented since then. That's about 25,000 contracted buses around the country to date."
As Randazzo explains, there will be a grace period for drivers in the City of Buffalo once the cameras are in place on every bus and fully operational.
"For the first 30 days after we go live, folks will receive a warning violation in the mail. Even though you could technically enforce the law, we want to make sure we manage the community's expectations," he said. "You get a heads up, and then we eventually go live. There comes a point in time where we do enforce the law, but everyone gets a warning ticket for that first 30 days."
When it comes to issuing violations to residents, BusPatrol serves as a turnkey managed service to help communities front the capitol for all of the technology, while also managing the service.
"We have the camera technology that detects the stop arm violations, transmits those violations to city law enforcement for review, and if they believe the alleged violation that we send them is, in fact, a violation - using their training, their experience, their judgment - then we just take care of the mailing of the violation to the registered owner of the vehicle," Randazzo explained. "We collect the payment as a payment processing service, and even if someone wants to contest in court, we would manage that with the local traffic court. They would mail the coupon back to bus patrol, and we would manage the scheduling, the docket preparation, the expert testimony to be able to make sure it's as seamless, as least laborious process as possible for the city."
Hear more from Tuesday's Legislation Committee meeting available in the player below: