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A Morning In Justice Court Fighting BusPatrol’s Safety Program Summons Paid Off Because The Video Evidence Was Obviously Flawed
EDITORIAL
By Tina Traster
On its face, an initiative called the “School Bus Safety Program” seems like a no-brainer, a sacred cow because everyone wants to keep children safe. But it would be prudent for Rockland County and school districts that have adopted the optional state law to look under the hood because the technology is not ready for prime time.
A “school bus safety program” ticket, gathered from data on a stop-arm camera, is a civil citation issued to the registered owner of a vehicle that passes a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing. The citation is not a moving violation. It does not add points to your driving record, and it doesn’t affect insurance.
While Rockland County officials say the program, which began last year, has led to the issuance of more than 45,000 violations and recorded a 30 percent decrease in offenses from the start to the end of the 2024 to 2025 school year, questions have been raised about the system’s technological efficacy. In 2024, there were 24,986 citation issued in the county. In 2025, there have been 19,563 to date, a 23 percent decrease year-over year.
In 2023, Rockland County partnered with BusPatrol, a private company based in Lorton, Virginia, to equip school buses countywide with stop-arm cameras. Every school district in Rockland County is participating in the program. The intent, according to the county, was to “change driver behavior and promote safer driving around school buses.”
BusPatrol installs cameras that use AI technology to capture photos and video of vehicles passing school buses. The Rockland County Sheriff’s Department then reviews the information and determines whether to issue tickets. A safety specialist reviews footage, and if a violation is confirmed, the evidence package is sent to law enforcement and the municipality. BusPatrol also has county initiatives in Westchester, Orange, Putnam, and Dutchess counties.
Examine the Video Before Writing the Check
Tickets for a first offense are $250; $275 for a second offense; and $300 for a third within 18 months. Based on the number of issued tickets, Rockland revenue would have exceeded $6.25 million in 2024 and almost $4.9 million in 2025, if everyone paid their fines. But almost 1,000 citations were dismissed and about 15,000 fines were never paid, according to the county.
The bulk of the collected revenue — 55 percent — goes to BusPatrol. The rest covers costs incurred by the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office to review the thousands of videos submitted to decide which ones to charge and to the County Attorney’s Office to cover hearings when drivers contest liability.
Of the 1,000 citation dismissed either before or during a hearing, the vast majority were disposed of in 2024. In 2025, New York State changed the rules, making it harder for drivers to avoid fines. A change in the law created a “rebuttable presumption” that the cameras proved the violation, effectively shifting the burden of proof to the driver to prove his or her innocence. But drivers who get tickets should be wary because the evidence might not be there to support the alleged violation.
The program, according to the county, is 100 percent violator funded. BusPatrol paid the costs to install equipment on 1,179 county school district buses at $6,000 per bus (about a $7 million investment) and facilitates operational costs (printing, mailing, court support, etc.).
To participate in the program, the state requires the county, through its Highway Superintendent, to install signage at each roadway entrance to the county giving drivers notice that school bus photo violation monitoring systems are used. Despite this mandate, Rockland County’s Code says the “absence of such signage shall not be a defense” to enforcement.
A Safety Measure or a Revenue Collector?
The Cornwall Central School District in Orange County last September rejected a proposal to opt into the BusPatrol program. At the time, its board Vice President Christian Brunelli urged his board to do more research on the topic. “I’m not sure there’s really any upside, even safety,” he said. “There is no research to prove safety.” He said such a program – while it would cost the district nothing – “is effectively a huge tax levy on residents”. He also told the board there were 15,000 civil penalties issued in Westchester County in 2024″ (which would yield $3.75 million) adding, “seventy percent of that money goes to Bus Patrol and 30 percent goes to the county.”
BusPatrol Taken To Court Over Allegations of Fraud
Earlier this year, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Town of Hempstead and BusPatrol America, LLC, accusing them of fraudulently issuing unauthorized traffic tickets without proper authorization from local school districts. Newsday recently reported BusPatrol offered to pay two of the districts up to $1 million to join the program — offers that surfaced after revelations that more than 80,000 citations had been issued in four districts that had not authorized the program. Common complaints in and around Albany and other jurisdictions describe cameras inaccurately recording drivers before the bus stop signs come out.
On Oct. 30th, I received by certified mail a “Notice of Liability” for a “failure of operator to stop for a school bus.” A hearing was set for Dec. 11 in the Village of Nyack Justice Court. The fine, if I had not contested it, would have cost $250.
When I opened the citation, I was stunned. I had no memory of passing the school bus six months earlier – as the citation alleged. Luckily, the summons said I can view the violation online at alterbus.com. When I logged on, I found three still images of my vehicle (which showed nothing) and three videos of the so-called violation. I knew instantly the evidence pointed to my innocence because in one video my car had already moved past the school bus stop sign two seconds before it flipped outward. A second showed my car passing the bus three seconds before the bus’s electronic arm juts out. I found it hard to believe that my videos were reviewed and someone at the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office authorized the clearly erroneous citation.
It’s unclear how many drivers have been caught up in what appears to be faulty technology or lax review, but the burden to prove your innocence requires an understanding of the law, and your time. Many drivers likely pay the $250 fine, padding the coffers of a private company and government, rationalizing that a half day spent in town justice court isn’t worth it, or that it might cause a hassle with their employer to take that kind of time. A second fine ratchets up to $275 and $300 for a third – if committed within an 18-month period. I received the citation many months after the alleged infraction.
A Waste of My Time, A County Lawyer’s Time, The Court’s Time
Knowing that the citation was faulty, I contested the ticket and appeared in Nyack Justice Court on Dec. 11. The night before the scheduled appearance, I spent two hours boning up on the law and preparing my defense. I arrived at justice court at 9:15, where more than 60 cases of traffic violations and other issues were on the docket. I groaned, thinking about how I could have been spending my time much more productively. While waiting for the judge to arrive, a gentleman approached me to confirm that I was Tina Traster, and in court to defend the bus program ticket. I said I was. He told me he was a lawyer with Rockland County, and that he was there to dismiss the charge. I was stunned and pleasantly surprised, though it left me thinking that this ticket had wasted my time, his time, and the court’s time. As it happened, he also dismissed similar citations in court that morning.
When my name was called, the judge summoned me to the podium to tell me the case was dismissed.
I said thank you.
Then he told me the county would issue me a letter with a warning. A warning? I asked. For what?
Unable to hold my tongue, I turned to the county lawyer and said “it’s the county that should be warned” because this program is drag-netting innocent people, who are either unnecessarily paying a fine or paying with their time and energy to fight this faulty program.
In a press release issued earlier this year issued by the County Executive’s office, Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco III said, “I want to thank the school districts but more importantly, the bus companies for getting in touch with us, going through training with us, making sure their bus drivers understand what is expected of them. And I want to thank the County Executive for taking the step forward to do this, to save lives, especially children’s lives in Rockland County.”
It’s hard to see fault with a program that is seemingly designed to protect children. But this program raises questions as to who is financially benefitting from the program and at what cost to motorists who are unfairly fined. This program needs to be paused and vetted until its technology is proven to be more foolproof.
