KENDALLVILLE — The stop arm on the bus extends with red lights flashing as the vehicle comes to a halt — right before a black Dodge Charger rolls past, ignoring the sign.
Four cameras capture four different angles, taking snapshots of the license plate and the blonde-haired woman driving the car as it passes the bus.
Thanks to East Noble School Corp.’s new bus stop-arm camera system, that driver can expect to get a hefty ticket from police.
Before the district started using the system, bus drivers had to try to get a license plate number and description of a vehicle in order to report a violation, all while trying to keep an eye on the kids getting on or off the bus and the dozens sitting in seats behind them, East Noble Transportation Director John Legus said.
If the car is traveling in the opposite direction, it’s almost impossible to get a plate number.
Now, the cameras are watching the road, which should make it easier for police to track down and deal with drivers who blow past stopped school buses, such as the driver of the Dodge Charger who previously was recorded via the camera system.
“If someone violates the stop arm, we’re going to turn them in,” Legus said.
East Noble is using the camera system on one bus, and Legus already has multiple recordings of drivers passing it, including one that just occurred Tuesday morning. With 43 East Noble bus routes, stop-arm violations happen just about daily, Legus said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
The camera system automatically logs when the bus’ yellow lights begin flashing and when the red lights turn on when the bus comes to a complete stop. That lets police know exactly when other drivers are supposed to be stopping, too.
In the video with the black Charger, a different vehicle slips past just as the bus lights go from yellow to red. But the Charger clearly passes after the stop arm is out and lit, Legus said.
Kendallville Police Chief Rob Wiley said getting complete information from bus drivers was the biggest hurdle to finding and ticketing stop-arm violators. But the camera system will make it much, much easier to document and investigate incidents.
“It really clarifies everything. It’s amazing how clear it is. The plate is crystal clear,” Wiley said.
Noble County Prosecutor Eric Blackman is strongly backing the camera system pilot through East Noble. Failing to stop for a school bus is an infraction, but more serious cases can be filed under the reckless driving statute and land a driver in jail, he said.
In cases where a driver passes at high speed, comes close to hitting children or is a repeat offender, the more serious charge could get filed, Blackman said.
In order to file a misdemeanor, the prosecution has to be able to prove the defendant was at the wheel, and the video from the bus cameras is key to being able to support that in court, he said.
“If we want this to have any teeth, we have to be able to file misdemeanors,” Blackman said.
The camera system costs about $1,200 extra to install on a bus, and East Noble wants to start putting the cameras on all new buses when they are purchased. Ideally, the school corporation will put the cameras on all of its buses, Superintendent Ann Linson said.
Legus hopes East Noble will be the first school district in the state to successfully use stop-arm cameras. Another district had tried out a camera system, but it failed to adequately capture violations.
If the cameras are successful at catching violators and drivers are fined or jailed, the system hopefully will deter others from trying to pass stopped buses, Legus said.
He’s already seen one incident in his career where a student at another district was injured after being hit by a vehicle — and that was one too many.
“We don’t want to be in a situation where we tell a parent their child is not coming home,” he said.