SAN ANTONIO – An ordinance allowing school buses to be equipped with cameras will be going before San Antonio's City Council next week.
The move is an effort to catch more bus stop arm violators and keep students safe.
From January 2015 to May, test cameras on North East Independent School District buses caught 750 drivers passing stop arms illegally. It's a method they say is more successful than the traditional way of catching violators.
"With over 400 buses out on the street every single day picking up kids, it's kind of hard to be in the area where every bus stop is, looking out for these violations," Wally McCampbell, NEISD chief of police, said.
Currently, the cameras on NEISD buses equipped with the technology are taking video every time the stop arms are extended. No violation notices, however, are currently being sent out. That's because drivers running school bus stop arms only face state law penalties, according to NEISD Executive Director of Transportation Nolan Anderson.
"If it's a first time offender, it is a criminal offense. The fine can be anywhere from $500 to a little over $1,200," Anderson said.
Some members of San Antonio's City Council are hoping to allow civil violations by letting districts decide if they want to participate in bus camera programs.
Northeast, South San, East Central and Judson independent school districts previously participated in pilot camera programs.
If the council approves the ordinance, violations can only be enforced if they happened within city limits. Anderson said the cameras include geo-fencing technology that lists the location where a violation occurs.
A spokeswoman for East Central said the district would support the program more if county commissioners approved a similar ordinance, since the majority of the district's campuses are in Bexar County.
"Hopefully, once it catches on in San Antonio, the other municipalities will come on board too, just as they have in other areas of the state," Anderson said.
Districts that choose to participate in the program wouldn't fit the bill for the technology, as previously reported. Instead, the technology provider would get a portion of the fine paid.