Connecticut towns are installing license plate reading cameras on school buses

City and town leaders across Connecticut have been fielding growing pushback from residents over automated license plate readers, which opponents say raise a range of concerns about privacy.But as many state and local leaders have called for a pause on the technology to weigh new policy guidance, several towns are installing AI-powered license plate readers on school buses.More than half a dozen towns — including Vernon, Bridgeport, Danbury, Shelton, Stratford, North Haven and New Haven — have contracted with a company called BusPatrol, which installs the technology on the towns’ bus fleets, then uses it to gather footage of any motorist passing a bus that’s displaying flashing red signal lights.The company’s technicians log the events and provide the recordings to local law enforcement.Unlike some license plate reading cameras — such as those owned and operated by the company Flock Safety — BusPatrol’s aren’t continuously monitoring the roads.They are triggered “only when a school bus is stopped with its warning lights and stop arm engaged,” a spokesperson from BusPatrol said.Since 2011, Connecticut has allowed digital video as evidence of a violation.

A 2024 law change put more power in the hands of municipalities to establish video monitoring systems and issue fines.And so far, they have caught quite a few.In New Haven, which installed the technology on more than 300 buses earlier this year, cameras have already recorded 12,000 incidents.Marc Petruzzi, chief of police in Vernon — which announced its rollout last month — said the town installed the cameras to avoid future tragedies.“Passing a stopped school bus is one of the most dangerous things that a driver can do,” he said at a press conference announcing the initiative.In the first three days of the program, BusPatrol cameras caught almost 100 motorists passing school buses, said David Owens, a spokesman for the town.Still, some Connecticut residents are wary of the ca...