Cleveland City Schools AI bus cameras already catch drivers illegally passing

From Local 3 News: New cameras placed last week on 10 Cleveland City Schools buses have already caught 39 drivers illegally passing buses.

The stop-arm cameras, which use AI to detect when a driver is illegally passing, are part of a partnership between the district, the Cleveland Police Department and BusPatrol. A state law passed in 2023 allows for cameras on the exterior of buses and requires coordination with local law enforcement.

"It’s just education," said Hal Taylor, director of operations for Cleveland City Schools. "It’s getting people to know when they see a school bus they’ve got to stop. The stop signs aren’t suggestions."

Multiple cameras placed on the sides and top of the bus provide a 360-degree view. The cameras are connected to an AI engine called AVA, which can sense when the bus reaches a complete stop.
 
"Most importantly, she [AVA] has the ability to differentiate between cars that are illegally passing the bus, and cars that are abiding by the law, and that's really, really important and critical," said Donny Wolfe, vice president of government relations and operations for BusPatrol.

After cameras catch potential violators, the Cleveland Police Department reviews each case to determine whether a person illegally passed. While officers have so far reviewed 48 cases, 39 instances were deemed to be misdemeanors.
 
Violators will only receive a warning before facing fines starting February 23. Fines are $250 for first-time offenders and $500 for repeat offenders.

During a trial period of less than four months with the district last year, involving cameras on only five buses, BusPatrol recorded over 1,000 violations.
 
Captain Evie West of the Cleveland Police Department worked as a school resource officer early in her career, and said she'd often hear frustration from teachers and parents about illegal bus passings. Before, unless an officer directly saw it happen, they couldn't take any action. "A lot of teachers would say, 'Hey, I saw this. Here's someone that went around the school bus, and here's their tag,'" she said. "And you can't, it's impossible to do that. You can't do that. It's not legal either. So, in this case, because of the recording and because of the camera, we're able to review these violations, determine [if] they're founded or unfounded, and then move forward in the process of incurring the violations."

BusPatrol has partnered with school districts across 24 states. With a hefty fine, Wolfe said many areas have seen major reductions in the number of illegal passings because of greater awareness.
 
"90% of drivers that receive a BusPatrol violation in the mail never receive another one again," Wolfe said. "So let's prevent a tragedy."

Discussions between BusPatrol and Cleveland City Schools started a year and a half ago. The district is the first in Tennessee to form a partnership.

"What we’re hearing from our families is they are very appreciative, and they are concerned for the safety of their own children, but also the children in this community," said Dr. Jeff Elliott, director of schools. "This is a reminder of that for anyone, whether you’re a family member or a community member, or anybody driving on our roads."
 
There is no upfront cost to the school district.

"This is not a big money-making thing for the city in any way," Taylor said. "This is not something that they're going to make a ton of money on, but it should cover the cost. Hopefully we get the message across to where this becomes obsolete."
 
Taylor is already receiving data from BusPatrol about routes and stops that may present more dangers than others. He'd consider changing bus routes and even expanding the program.

Captain West urges people to make sure any violation notices they receive are real, and to beware of possible scams as the program launches.