Vernon, Bridgeport, Danbury, Shelton, Stratford, North Haven and New Haven are among the first Connecticut towns to equip school buses with license‑plate reading cameras. The technology, supplied by BusPatrol, records the license plates of any vehicle that passes a bus stopped with its flashing red lights and stop arm deployed. Recordings are then handed to local law‑enforcement for citation.
Safety focus behind the rollout
Police leaders say the cameras address a long‑standing enforcement gap. “Passing a stopped school bus is one of the most dangerous things a driver can do,” said Marc Petruzzi, chief of police in Vernon, at a press conference announcing the town’s program. In New Haven, where more than 300 buses received the equipment earlier this year, the system has already logged 12,000 incidents. In the first three days of Vernon’s pilot, BusPatrol cameras captured nearly 100 illegal passes, according to town spokesperson David Owens.
How the system works
Unlike continuously monitoring devices used by some vendors, BusPatrol’s cameras activate only when a bus is stopped with its warning lights and stop arm engaged. A company spokesperson explained that the footage is retained only as long as needed for law‑enforcement review or as required by law, and is purged once a citation is finalized. By default, the data belongs to the school district.
Legal backdrop
Connecticut has allowed digital video as evidence of traffic violations since 2011. A 2024 law change gave municipalities greater authority to establish video‑monitoring systems and to levy fines. The fine for a first‑time violation caught on camera is $250, while an in‑person citation remains $450. Over the past six years the state has recorded 12 fatalities and 23 serious injuries involving school buses, according to Josh Morgan, communications director at the Department of Transportation.
Privacy concerns and opposition
Critics warn that the cameras could become a tool for broader surveillance. Dan Piper, an organizer with the CT Civil Liberties Defense Committee and a Hartford-area teacher, called for a ban on AI cameras on school buses, fearing the footage could be shared with federal immigration enforcement or other databases. “When someone tells me we’re going to have more cameras connected to private databases that use AI to search for people, we know those companies are sharing that information,” Piper said.
Connecticut already has one of the highest per‑capita concentrations of automated license‑plate readers in New England, with nearly 800 installations statewide, according to tracking firm DeFlock. Recent reporting has shown that out‑of‑state agencies have accessed state ALPR data to enforce immigration and abortion‑related laws, fueling resident objections at town meetings.
State guidance and pause
Governor Ned Lamont has asked municipalities to pause new automated license‑plate reader installations for 30 days while the Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council develops guidance on data retention and sharing. The pause covers school‑zone traffic‑enforcement devices, work‑zone speed‑control cameras, fixed ALPRs and drones, but does not specifically mention bus‑mounted cameras. Cathryn Vaulman, the governor’s spokesperson, said the pause will allow time to evaluate legal protections and improve communication between towns, police and technology providers.
While privacy advocates continue to push for stricter limits, local officials argue that the cameras provide a tangible safety benefit for children and give law‑enforcement a reliable tool to enforce existing traffic laws.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
