Portage Police Chief Candiano has outlined how the department will use school bus cameras to investigate stop-arm violations, saying more than 30 incidents from just the last few weeks are already under investigation.
Portage Township Schools buses are now equipped with cameras that capture images of violations, with the footage stored by the school corporation. Under the new process, the transportation office notifies school resource officers, who review the footage and complete citations where the evidence supports them. A station officer then delivers the citation to the alleged violator in person.
Candiano said the number of buses and miles to cover, compared with the number of patrol officers working, had made proper enforcement nearly impossible in past years. Saturation patrols had limited effect, he said, because drivers generally do not pass buses when police vehicles are present.
The chief said in-person delivery saves the city certified-mail costs, lets the cited person speak with an officer and ask questions, and lets the officer verify the citation and the offender are correct. Deliveries are captured on body camera and handled by the station officer rather than pulling a patrol officer off the road. The goal, he said, is to reduce violations and stop putting children at risk as they get on and off buses.
