Enfield Approves School-Bus Camera Deal

ENFIELD, CT — Drivers who pass stopped school buses in Enfield could soon be caught on camera and fined $250.

The Town Council approved a school-bus camera ordinance Monday night and authorized Acting Town Manager Gary Evans to enter into a five-year agreement with BusPatrol America.

The vote moves the program forward nearly a month after the council agreed to hold a public hearing on the proposal, as Patch previously reported.

Cameras and sensors installed on participating school buses will record vehicles that pass while a bus is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. The recordings will include the vehicle’s license plate and the time and location of the suspected violation.

A police officer or other authorized town employee must review the evidence before a citation can be issued. The registered owner of the vehicle would face a $250 civil fine.

Vehicle owners will be able to contest citations through a town hearing process. They may also submit an affidavit identifying the person who was driving at the time.

Under the agreement included in the council’s Sept. 21 meeting packet, BusPatrol will provide the cameras, software, installation, maintenance and citation-processing services.

The company will receive $250 per participating bus each month, plus $65 for every citation that is paid. Those fees are expected to come from money collected through the enforcement program.

The initial contract will run for five years from the date the first citation is issued. It will automatically extend for another five years unless the town or BusPatrol provides at least 180 days’ notice that it does not want to renew.

If Enfield ends the agreement early, the town could also face equipment-removal charges ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 for each bus, depending on when the contract is terminated.

The town has not announced how many buses will receive cameras or when citations will begin.

For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.