Oneida County Sheriff's Office issued 852 citations for passing stopped school buses

With the recent completion of the 2023-2024 school year, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office has issued a total of 852 citations for passing stopped school buses thanks to the Verra Mobility’s CrossingGuard school bus stop-arm enforcement program, officials said in a statement.

This program provides state-of-the-art stop-arm safety technology to capture stop-arm events effectively.

When the stop arm is deployed, the camera automatically detects vehicles that pass the stopped bus within the enforcement zone.

When an event occurs, the cameras record video of the vehicle and capture event images, including the vehicle, its license plate, and the extended stop-arm.

The violation video and license plate images are then reviewed by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office for approval prior to a citation being issued.

Citations issued

The school districts that are partnering with the Sheriff’s Office and the number of violations within those districts include:

• Holland Patent — 54 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus
• New Hartford — 178 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus
• New York Mills — 97 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus
• Rome City — 77 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus
• Sauquoit Valley — 34 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus
• Waterville — 33 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus
• Westmoreland — 97 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus
• Whitesboro — 282 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus

“The number of school buses being passed in Oneida County is concerning as it puts the safety of the children at risk,” the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

The Sheriff’s Office urges motorists to pay close attention when approaching school buses — “Stop on Red, Kids Ahead.”

Up to 32,000 students in Oneida County can be transported to and from school in county school buses daily.

As part of the county’s partnership with Verra Mobility, 191 school buses in the eight participating districts are equipped with school bus stop-arm safety cameras. The sheriff’s office is currently working with Verra Mobility to get the remaining school districts in the county online with cameras on their buses.

In 2019, the New York Legislature passed legislation to permit schools to equip their buses with camera technology to catch drivers who illegally drive by school buses when they stop to pick up or drop off students.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, under the law, the fine for passing a school bus ranges from $250 for a first violation, to a maximum of $1,000 for three violations in three years. Additionally, if a vehicle owner is convicted of three violations in three years, their driver’s license can be revoked for a minimum of six months.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County Sheriff's Office issued 852 citations for passing stopped school buses