DeKalb Schools hopes to begin installing stop-arm cameras that capture license plates by January

DeKalb County Schools is looking to build a districtwide automated stop-arm camera enforcement program, potentially covering more than 1,000 school buses.

Currently in an RPF phase to find a vendor, Director of Student Transportation Bernando Brown said the stop-arm cameras would be at no cost to the district, which he said is similar to a grant feature. The district currently has 1,044 buses. 

Brown said cameras currently installed on buses are on the inside and focus more on what's happening on the inside of the bus for student safety. He said these cameras would give a clear view of the outside of the bus.

"The goal of DeKalb County School District is to ensure we're protecting 100% of our students 100% of the time by providing safe and reliable consistent transportation to and from school each and every day," Brown said. "Right now we're transporting roughly about 45,000 students."

According to a new survey from the Governor's Highway Safety Association, data showed nearly half of children riding the school bus have had a close call with a dangerous driver. The survey also found that 53 percent of parents believe dangerous driving continues because drivers don't think they'll be caught.

The Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety estimates drivers in the state illegally pass school buses over 9,000 times a day.

"It's pretty frequent," Brown said. "We have certain areas in DeKalb County where it's almost every time a bus stops, you're going to see it." 

The fine amount in Georgia for illegally passing a stopped bus starts at $1,000.

DeKalb County Schools wants the exterior stop-arm cameras with multi-angle video, license-plate recognition, GPS tagging, and automatic activation when the stop arm/red lights are engaged. 

The system is also supposed to work through the day and night, in temperatures from -10°F to 120°F, while maintaining at least 95% uptime. 

The data collected from the cameras is something Brown said goes straight to law enforcement, where it will be validated if an offense was committed. Brown said it's unclear if it will be handled by school law enforcement or local law enforcement.

"The camera will actually be mounted right on the side of our bus," Brown said. "Directly up under our stop arm. As long as no one passes the bus, there's nothing to worry about. It picks up the vehicle as it passes the stop arm, and then it also picks up your tag number, so it's multiple facets. It picks you up as you're going through on the front end as well as on the back end."

The Georgia Department of Education states that "all drivers are required to stop when meeting or overtaking a stopped school bus that has its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended when loading or unloading passengers."

When a bus is stopped in a two lane, vehicles traveling in both directions must also stop. When a bus stops on a multi-lane paved road, vehicles traveling in both directions must stop. When a bus is stopped in a divided highway by a dirt, grass, or barrier median, then vehicles behind the bus must stop, while motorists traveling in the opposite direction can continue driving but must use caution.

Brown said he hopes the fine is enough to ensure the penalty isn't a slap on the wrist that encourages drivers to continue illegally passing stopped buses. Brown said he doesn't foresee anything stopping the first phase of camera installations, and has his eyes set on the process beginning no later than January.