Council asks legal review after members raise privacy concerns about school-bus camera contract

Council members asked corporation counsel on June 2 to review Danbury’s contract with Bus Patrol after a council member cited an outside media investigation saying the company plans broader data sharing and potential law‑enforcement partnerships.

Councilman Rotello said the outside reporting indicated Bus Patrol had internal plans to scan and retain license‑plate data from tens of thousands of buses and to share data with law‑enforcement contractors. He asked legal staff to verify whether those changes are reflected in Danbury’s contract and, if so, what exit rights the city has. Rotello said he would provide media articles to counsel for review.

City staff described how the local program currently operates: video is triggered only when a violation is detected, an officer reviews the short snippet tied to the citation, and archived footage is only accessible to authorized personnel. The airport/administrative officer and the citation hearing officer said the city can terminate the contract for cause if contract terms change in a way that breaches data‑protection clauses.

Council directed corporation counsel to examine the outside reporting and the Bus Patrol contract, confirm whether Danbury’s contract language prevents unauthorized sharing, and report back. No formal action to terminate the contract was taken at the meeting.

Next steps: corporation counsel to review the vendor’s broader corporate practices and Danbury’s contract language and advise the council on potential remedies or termination rights.