Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 10:12 a.m. Monday, Feb. 6, 2012

Posted: 11:46 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3, 2012

Motorists might find a ticket in their mailbox if they blow through the stop sign on the side of a stopped school bus because of a novel idea being explored by the Palm Beach County School District to raise money for transportation and increase safety for children around buses.

"It's a little out-of-the-box thinking," District Chief of Support Operations Joe Sanches told school board members about a plan the district is in the very early stages of exploring that could use cameras school buses the same way that some cities use cameras to catch red-light runners.

The district is trying camera systems on two buses, Sanches said. The cameras are not sending out any tickets or warnings, just taking video of cars that blow through the "stop arm" sign that swings out from the side of a bus, Sanches said at a board workshop on how to save money on the transportation earlier this week.

Transportation General Manager Pete DiDonato said the original intent of the piloted camera systems is to give drivers a 360-degree view of what is happening outside their bus to improve safety. But the cameras have the capability of taking pictures and video of motorists and capturing their license plate numbers.

Several cities, including Palm Springs, West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach, are already using the controversial red-light cameras to issue $158 fines to the owners of vehicles caught on tape running red lights as allowed by state law. Palm Beach County and Broward County traffic divisions have also started erecting red light cameras in unincorporated areas and Boca Raton recently voted to put up cameras as well.

Other cities such as Royal Palm Beach and Haverhill have stopped using their red-light cameras.

A portion of the fine goes to the state, some goes to a company hired to administer the cameras and the local municipality also gets a piece of the fine revenue. Sanches said cameras on the side of buses could generate some money for transportation. The district faces a $50 million deficit next year.

DiDonato was not able to provide specific numbers.

"People blow by us all the time," DiDonato said. "They're really running a stop sign."

According to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there are an estimated 8,900 illegal passes of school buses every day in Florida. The first offense for passing a stopped bus on the left hand side is $165 and the first offense fine for passing a stopped bus on the right hand side is $265. Repeat offenses can result in a suspended license for up to six months.

Board members did not approve or discuss the camera idea when it was brought up this week. Vice Chairwoman Debra Robinson did say she was interested in looking into it. Sanches said it was just being explored. If the district did decide to start using cameras, it would probably not happen for a while.

The 2010 state law that authorizes red-light cameras does not mention school buses or cameras for stop arms. Sanches told board members he is not sure how the district could issue tickets and if it would have to partner with local law-enforcement agencies. Vern Pickup-Crawford, the district's lobbyist, said Sanches has asked him to look into the legality, but he has not had a chance to research it yet.

The state law that allows red-light cameras has been under attack since it passed. Attorneys such as West Palm Beach lawyer Jason Weiser have been challenging red light cameras in court for years. A bill that would have repealed the red-light camera law stalled in session last year but State Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, has introduced another repeal bill this year. Plakon's legislative assistant, Luke Givens, said the bill was still in committee.

American Traffic Solutions, the company which administers many of the red-light cameras in Palm Beach County and nationwide, last October unveiled a new product they called the Crossing Guard School Bus Stop Arm Violation Enforcement System that would essentiality do what the school district is exploring. According to a press release from the company, pictures and video of license plates from the system "provide law enforcement the evidence they need to effectively prosecute these violations" and says that seven states have passed laws enabling the use of stop-arm violation camera systems.

Schools systems in three Massachusetts towns, Medford, Quincy and Seekonk, last year started a pilot stop-arm camera program with a different company. That program sends pictures of scofflaw license plates to law enforcement agencies to decide if a violation has occurred and then mails citations of $250 for first time violators and $500 for repeat violations.

According to news reports, the Massachusetts cameras recorded 57 violations in 55 days in the town of Quincy alone.