Montclair Cops Are Shadowing School Buses In Unmarked Cars: PD

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Did you just see someone driving aggressively near a school bus in Montclair? Local police want to know about it.

On Friday, the Montclair Police Department issued the following advisory:

“The Montclair Police Department Traffic Bureau has spent the last few months working on a School Bus Safety initiative. Our goal is to address the ongoing safety issues and concerns in Montclair, and sadly the tragedies we have seen across the country. Officers have been, and will continue to follow school busses in unmarked police vehicles. Officers are addressing drivers who drive aggressively near school busses, and more importantly, those who do not stop for stopped school busses. We ask that if you are aware of certain problem areas, please contact Officer John Bossolt at (973) 509- 4738. We also ask you to share this post, as we are hoping awareness will help curtail this issue, making Montclair a safer community for everyone.”

A social media post from the MPD announcing the campaign immediately drew several supportive comments and suggestions:

• “One additional area to investigate is the speed at which school buses travel. In particular, there has been a lot of community conversation regarding their speed on Park St. between Watchung and Bellevue.”
• “This morning the car in front of me on Valley Road near Watchung did not stop for the bus stopped in the oncoming lane that clearly had the stop sign out and red lights flashing.”
• “Having stood on the corner of Grove and Grey for a dozen years (3 kids) at around 8:50 a.m., I can say without hesitation that is a problem area. Cars coming in the opposite direction often drive right through the bus’ stop sign, and I had to jump in front of a car that attempted to PASS THE BUS ON THE RIGHT as k-2nd grade students were boarding. (The car would have plowed over half a dozen little kids)”
• “Please focus on Grove Street - I see issues there regularly!”

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