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Former trooper outlines Bus Patrol stop‑arm camera program to Sullivan County legislators
Summary
An Orange County enforcement technician described Bus Patrol’s stop‑arm camera program, saying the company installs equipment at no cost and that a violator-funded model split citation revenue with the hosting county covered program costs; he reported 17,358 citations and 30,000 videos reviewed last school year.
Michael Belgiovini, an enforcement technician with Orange County Emergency Services, told Sullivan County legislators the Bus Patrol stop‑arm camera program is designed to reduce motorists passing stopped school buses and to improve student safety. "School buses are passed illegally 45,000,000 times a year in North America," Belgiovini said, and he showed videos he said demonstrate motorists dangerously ignoring red lights and stop arms.
Belgiovini explained how the system works: cameras and license‑plate readers mounted on buses, combined with AI, flag likely violations that the private company uploads to a database for local review. "Bus Patrol collects all the pictures and videos. I just review the video," he said, describing a workflow of retired law‑enforcement reviewers who verify flagged clips and either approve or disapprove a citation. He said Orange County’s rollout reached 8 districts and more than 1,000 buses and that reviewers examined about 30,000 videos and issued 17,358 citations in the program’s first school year.
On penalties and enforcement procedures, Belgiovini said notices are civil liability notices mailed to the registered owner rather than criminal motor‑vehicle citations. He stated the first offense as $250 and the third offense as $300; the transcript lists the second amount as "$2.75," which appears to be a transcription error and was not clarified in the presentation. He said motorists can plead not guilty and have a hearing where the video evidence will be shown to a magistrate or judge.
Legislators and attendees asked practical questions about cost, opt‑in mechanics and DMV consequences. Belgiovini said Bus Patrol installs equipment at no cost to counties, districts, or bus companies and that revenue from civil notices is split between Bus Patrol and the hosting county under a violator‑funded cost‑recovery model. He recommended retired law‑enforcement reviewers to preserve program integrity and encouraged Sullivan County staff and school districts to consult with the company and with Orange County staff to examine the model before deciding whether to adopt it locally.
The presentation concluded with members urging follow‑up with school districts; the chair said the legislature could consider a supporting resolution after staff and the company brief the committees.
