JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools is in the process of mounting cameras on roughly 900 school buses to catch drivers who fail to stop when buses are loading and unloading students. The program is currently in a warning period throughout April, with citations set to go live in May.
(Watch the full interview above.)
The rollout comes as a Florida Tribune report raised red flags about a similar program in Miami-Dade County. That program was suspended in April of last year after it was found to be issuing tickets to drivers incorrectly, reporting incorrect violation numbers, over-billing fines, and overwhelming police reviewers with more than 400 notices per day, according to the Florida Tribune.
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Jackson Short, Chief of Duval County Public Schools Police, joined News4JAX to address those concerns and explain how the district plans to avoid the same pitfalls.
How the cameras work
The cameras use artificial intelligence to flag drivers who do not stop for a deployed stop arm and red lights. But technology is only the first step.
“Next goes to the vendor company, which is Bus Patrol in our case,” Short said. “And then it comes to us, to the school police department, where we have police officers that are going to review the citations.”
Officers reviewing flagged incidents will have access to live camera feeds, still photographs, vehicle images, license plate captures and time-stamped records of when the stop arm deployed and when the red lights were activated — all from multiple angles.
“The guidance that I’ve given them is, if you’re not sure, don’t issue the citation,” Short said. “It should be very obvious that the driver did violate the law and that’s the only time that we’re going to issue the citation.”
Who is required to stop — and who isn’t
Under Florida law, drivers must stop for any school bus that has deployed its red lights and stop arm. There are limited exceptions.
“Drivers need to stop with the exception of if there’s a raised median, a divided highway or at least five feet of median separating the traffic in the opposite direction,” Short said.
A raised median is one that is physically elevated — often with a curb. A flat grass median only qualifies for the exemption if it is at least 5 feet wide. When in doubt, Short said, drivers should simply stop.
“When in doubt, pay attention to other drivers around you, if you’re not sure, stop, and just be cognizant of our students,” Short said. “We’re not trying to write tickets. We’re not expecting to make any money. Our goal is to be so successful at this program that we don’t need it anymore.”
Contesting a citation
Drivers who are ticketed will receive the same evidence packets reviewed by officers — including photos of their vehicle, license plate and a record of the violation. The fine is $225 and carries no points on a driver’s license.
If someone other than the registered owner was driving, there are mechanisms to transfer responsibility of the citation to that driver.
Drivers who believe a ticket was issued in error can request a hearing through Florida’s Department of Administrative Hearings, a government entity that already handles bus camera reviews for other counties in Florida.
“That’s the important piece — that drivers do have the opportunity to contest the citation if they believe it was issued in error,” Short said.
This administrative hearing process was notably absent in Miami-Dade County’s program — one of the key criticisms identified in the Florida Tribune’s investigation.
Staffing up to prevent Miami-Dade’s mistakes
The district is starting with two officers to review violations during the April warning period. The program goes live in May, but a summer break will follow shortly after, giving the district time to assess data and adjust staffing as needed.
“That summer break is going to give us a chance to analyze the data and see what type of violations we’re getting and we can adjust our staffing if needed,” Short said.
As for the over-billing issues seen in Miami-Dade, Short said the citation amount is fixed.
“The citation, it is what it is. It’s $225,” Short said. “With any new technology and any new state law, there were some growing pains, and unfortunately Miami-Dade got in early on it and they experienced those growing pains in real time and had to take a pause on it.”