School Bus Stop Arm Camera Program on Hold: City

As of Oct. 2, the school bus stop arm safety program in the City of Falls Church is suspended as a result of an official advisory opinion from the Commonwealth’s Attorney General, according to an announcement Wednesday morning from the City of Falls Church.

At issue is whether citations of those caught on video passing a school bus can be mailed to the violator, or must be served in person, the City notes. When the “Video-Monitoring on School Buses” bill was signed into law in 2011, it did not specifically include the “citation-by-mail” provision, the City said. As a result, the current handling of citations in the City of Falls Church by mail has stopped pending changes in the legislation.

“The school bus camera program was effective,” said Police Chief Mary Gavin. “We hope the legislature will come around to bring this program back.”

No citations from the cameras have been issued since the program was suspended on Oct. 2, the City said. It is still illegal to pass a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended.

The award-winning program is a partnership between the Falls Church City Public Schools, the City of Falls Church Police Department and American Traffic Solutions (ATS). Launched in October of 2013, high-resolution cameras were installed on the exterior of six FCCPS school buses. When a school bus stopped and extended the stop arm, the camera automatically detected when a vehicle was passing. The violation data and images were wirelessly uploaded to ATS which were later reviewed by local law enforcement for approval or rejection. If approved, a citation was issued and mailed to the vehicle owner.

The Focus on Safety red light program (www.fallschurchva.gov/RedLight) is not affected.