Grady Judd, Polk County superintendent unveil school bus safety cameras

LAKELAND, Fla. - Polk County leaders unveiled a new initiative Wednesday morning to help keep students safe on their way to school. 

The Safe Stop program provides state-of-the-art technology, including cameras, mounted on school buses to capture drivers who pass a stopped school bus displaying a stop signal.

The camera records license plate images that will then be reviewed by a deputy from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office before a warning or traffic citation is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid spoke on the new technology at a press conference Wednesday morning.

Heid said the county saw 22 students die last year due to traffic fatalities, which spurred them on to change something. One of those students was struck and killed as a result of a driver attempting to pass a stopped school bus.

"This last year we had an unprecedented number of student fatalities due to vehicular and pedestrian issues, due to automobile accidents, and it's just a reality that in our community, we continue to grow," Heid said. "That means we have more drivers on the roads, more opportunities for drivers to be distracted on the roads."

Heid said last school year, the county saw over 400 incidents where bus drivers reported that someone had unsafely passed their bus after it had stopped.

"The number of viewings and funerals that we've attended this last year is unprecedented and unacceptable," he said. "Our students should not be put in that position."

READ: Polk County parents concerned after fourth student struck by vehicle while headed to school  

Governor Ron DeSantis also signed a bill into law last year that allows school districts to use these types of camera systems to capture images of drivers who illegally pass school buses.

"There is absolutely nothing in this world more important to us than our children," Judd said.

He said PCSO will provide more than 60 days of grace period for violators before they receive a citation for illegally passing buses. That citation would be $198, he added. 

According to a representative with Verra Mobility, 98% of people who pass a stopped school bus and pay the citation don't do it a second time.

Earlier this year, the Polk County School District said the program would have no impact on their operational budget. 

Revenues from violations will also help fund the program.

Click here for a full breakdown of Florida law when it comes to passing stopped school buses. 

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