Additional Coverage:
- Connecticut towns face pushback after installing license plate reading cameras on school buses (themirror.com)
Municipal leaders across Connecticut are grappling with growing public unease over the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), with many residents raising significant privacy concerns. While numerous state and local officials have called for a pause on deploying such technologies until clearer policy guidelines are established, some towns are moving ahead with AI-powered license plate readers on school buses.
Communities including Vernon, Bridgeport, Danbury, Shelton, Stratford, North Haven, and New Haven have teamed up with BusPatrol, a company that equips school buses with cameras designed to capture footage of drivers illegally passing buses with flashing red lights. The recorded incidents are then submitted to local police for enforcement.
Unlike continuous surveillance systems like those operated by Flock Safety, BusPatrol’s cameras activate only when a bus is stopped with its warning lights and stop arm extended, according to a company spokesperson. Since 2011, Connecticut has accepted digital video as evidence of traffic violations, and recent 2024 legislation has expanded municipal authority to implement video monitoring and impose fines.
In New Haven alone, more than 300 buses have been outfitted with the technology this year, recording over 12,000 instances of drivers unlawfully passing stopped school buses. Vernon’s Police Chief Marc Petruzzi emphasized the safety rationale, calling such violations among the most dangerous driving behaviors.
Within just days of launching the program, Vernon’s cameras documented nearly 100 violations, underscoring persistent enforcement challenges despite longstanding laws prohibiting passing stopped school buses in Connecticut.
However, some residents remain wary. Dan Piper, a Hartford-area teacher and organizer with the CT Civil Liberties Defense Committee, expressed strong opposition to AI cameras on school buses, citing fears over how footage is stored, shared, and potentially accessed by federal immigration authorities or linked to other surveillance databases.
In response, BusPatrol states that video data is retained only as long as legally necessary for law enforcement review and is deleted once citations are resolved. The company notes that all data ultimately belongs to the school districts.
Connecticut has recorded 12 deaths and 23 serious injuries related to school bus incidents over the past six years, according to the Department of Transportation, though exact figures involving illegal passing of stopped buses are unclear. Fines for passing a stopped bus have ranged from $250 to $450 depending on whether the violation is camera-detected or officer-issued.
Despite the safety intent, many communities remain skeptical of expanding ALPR use. Connecticut leads New England in ALPR cameras per capita, with nearly 800 devices installed statewide by municipalities and businesses. Concerns heightened after investigations revealed that ALPR data had been accessed thousands of times by out-of-state agencies involved in federal immigration enforcement and abortion law investigations.
At recent town meetings, residents have voiced opposition to surveillance technologies that could be exploited beyond their intended use. Critics have challenged officials to demonstrate that cameras have effectively reduced crime, a claim often unmet by local authorities.
Governor Ned Lamont recently called for a 30-day moratorium on new ALPR installations-including devices for school zones, work zones, and drones-while the Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council develops updated guidelines on data retention and sharing. Notably, this pause does not specifically include school bus-mounted cameras.
A spokesperson for the governor emphasized that the moratorium aims to address gaps in current legal protections and foster clearer communication among towns, law enforcement, and technology providers regarding video surveillance practices.
As Connecticut balances public safety with privacy concerns, the debate over automated license plate readers-especially on school buses-continues to unfold across the state.