Following up on the article on BusPatrol in Florida, we checked for BusPatrol campaign contributions in Maryland and found BusPatrol has contributed to the campaigns of:
Delegate Marc Korman
Delegate Regina Boyce
Senator Will Smith
Showing posts with label BusPatrol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BusPatrol. Show all posts
Monday, December 16, 2024
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Red Lights, Green Cash: How a Florida Legislator Boosted School Bus Cameras and Benefited Her Family
In The Tributary, reporter Nandhini Srinivasan. First report Oct. 24, 2024, updated Nov. 4, 2024. To read the full story go here.
Florida Rep. Vicki Lopez’s votes benefited her son’s employer as she tried to help BusPatrol win new laws and contracts.
Personal connections, aggressive lobbying and hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions fueled the rapid rise of an obscure school bus camera vendor, BusPatrol, which quickly became a major player in a niche industry that didn’t exist in Florida until last year.
That success represented a remarkable turnaround for a company with a troubled history of allegations that it values revenue over public safety and opportunity over ethics.
BusPatrol’s reversal in fortunes, already evident in other states, echoes the comeback of Florida state Rep. Vicki Lopez, once a down-and-out Lee County commissioner, with whom BusPatrol is inextricably linked.
Last year, Lopez co-sponsored a bill allowing cameras on school buses statewide. Within months, her family had cashed in on the new industry through a web of connections built with BusPatrol, which stands to make millions from traffic tickets.
A Tributary investigation found a familiar pattern between Lopez and BusPatrol — one of overlapping personal, professional, and political interests – that evokes past allegations of ethical impropriety that have dogged both.
And:
The BusPatrol Revenue Machine
BusPatrol’s business model has proven highly lucrative—largely built on the revenue generated from citations issued by its cameras. In Florida and beyond, the company has positioned itself as a leader in school bus safety, but questions persist about whether its primary focus is public safety or profit.
In Miami-Dade, the company’s cameras led to 11,500 citations in the first two weeks. BusPatrol keeps 70% of the revenue from every $200 citation issued. At that rate, BusPatrol stands to make about $3.2 million a month in revenue.
In Hillsborough County, the company estimated its cameras led to 2,500 to 3,000 citations in the first week. The company gets $225 a month for each of the about 840 school buses equipped with cameras. It also receives $65 for every fine issued.
If the county continues issuing about 3,000 citations a week, the company stands to make about a million dollars a month in Hillsborough.
BusPatrol has repeatedly faced allegations that local governments use its cameras to wrongfully and excessively issue citations.
The company faces a federal class-action complaint in New York for issuing citations without evidence. News reports in New York, Massachusetts and Pittsburgh have also reported that drivers were fined despite not breaking the law.
Pittsburgh-based television station WPXI reported last year that the station had received complaints from viewers that BusPatrol’s cameras were wrongfully citing people with $300 penalties.
In New York, after an appellate supreme court decision that BusPatrol’s cameras provided “insufficient evidence”, about 8,000 tickets in Suffolk County were dismissed. The state changed its bus camera law, and Suffolk County created a more extensive process to review citations from BusPatrol’s cameras.
Last month, Newsday reported Suffolk County and the Town of Hempstead in New York issued nearly 250,000 tickets last year. That means in one year, one citation was given for every nine residents of the area. In two years, BusPatrol made more than $20 million off of those tickets in Hempstead and Suffolk County.
Suffolk County’s comptroller issued a report in June about BusPatrol’s operation. “When you get under the hood you see how inefficient and chaotic the implementation truly was,” he told Newsday. The report suggested the county strengthen its ethics laws to prevent officials from going on to work for companies like BusPatrol.
It also found that of about 200,000 citations it looked at, about 1,600 were dismissed when the drivers contested them. However, the report also said the data suggested tickets had “improved driving behavior around school bus stops in Suffolk County.”
In Suffolk County, BusPatrol similarly hired a legislator’s son as a lobbyist, along with the elected prosecutor, his chief of staff, a state senator, a county lawmaker and other top county officials as outside counsel, lobbyists and top executives, according to an investigation by Newsday.
One of those former Suffolk County officials lobbied Miami-Dade and Hillsborough on behalf of BusPatrol, according to county records.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Pittsburg: New Bus Patrol America citation appeal procedure instituted after public complaints.
...BusPatrol told 11 Investigates that they are in the process of addressing some of the issues and problems.
They said they will soon implement a brand new process where a PennDot representative will hear all of the initial appeals, instead of a district justice.
If a driver isn’t satisfied with the PennDot hearing officer’s decision, the driver has the option of appealing that verdict to the district judge.
The driver would then have to pay the $110 filing fee which would be refundable if the judge rules in favor of the driver...
Monday, February 5, 2024
Montgomery County Driver Posts Video from @mcps Bus Camera Showing How Citations are Issued
The #alertbus for MoCo is a clear money grab. More than 70% of the 50K+ camera tickets issued are from opposite traffic. Watch this video: if my white van slammed on the breaks, it would have been a hazard for other vehicles.
— StudiGo (@StudiGo_LLC) February 3, 2024
1/@MontCoExec@PCMC1@SpeakerAJones @DavidMoon2014 https://t.co/546sgMPEtu pic.twitter.com/zMvuxhL7tF
Friday, January 12, 2024
Lawsuit Filed Against Board of Education and former MCPS Bus Driver Etienne Kabongo
Click here for case information: MCPS Special Education driver found guilty of sexually abusing and raping MCPS students on school bus.
Civil suit now filed in this matter:| Court System: | Circuit Court For Montgomery County - Civil |
| Location: | Montgomery Circuit Court |
| Case Number: | C-15-CV-23-004648 |
| Title: | Mother Doe vs. Board of Education of Montgomery County, et al. |
| Case Type: | Tort - Negligence |
| Filing Date: | 12/14/2023 |
| Case Status: | Open |
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
11 Investigates digs into people wrongfully ticketed by automated cameras on school buses [Bus Patrol America]
...“They said ‘We even ticketed the school bus,’” Frangos tells 11 Investigates. “The gotcha moment was when the police officer with the school system said that center divide needs to be a certain height.”
Frangos was told the median wasn’t high enough, but that’s not what state law says. PennDot’s law clearly states: “If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.”
If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping. Just on principle, I’d spend $2,000 to fight it before I will pay the school system,” Frangos added.
Jay Beeber wrote a report for the National Motorists Association. He says data nationwide shows automated cameras don’t make kids safer and a cut of the revenue goes to the local school district...
11 Investigates digs into people wrongfully ticketed by automated cameras on school buses – WPXI
Monday, December 11, 2023
11 Investigates viewer complaints about school bus cameras wrongly ticketing people [BusPatrol America]
But now, Pittsburgh Public School buses are using automated cameras that send tickets and our viewers say they’re not working.
“I think the system was designed to make money,” Lance Duggar tells 11 Investigates...
...He got a $300 violation in the mail and said he was so surprised, he thought it was a scam. He was able to go online and look at the video footage showing his “violation.” The video showed he didn’t pass the bus on Brownsville Road while the red lights were flashing, so he went to court and won.
BusPatrol says a Pittsburgh Public Police officer looks at the video before a citation is actually mailed out. Dugger says, based on what he saw, he’s not sure anyone reviewed his case. And it came with court costs he said he had to pay for in cash.
“$90. I don’t have 90 dollars [in court costs] to give away,” he said...
11 Investigates viewer complaints about school bus cameras wrongly ticketing people – WPXI
Thursday, July 13, 2023
6th Person Sent to Prison in Scheme that Brought School Bus Stop Arm Cameras to Montgomery County, MD. MCPS Fmr Dir Todd Watkins Met with Rick Sorrells in Dallas. @mcps @mocoboe
Reminder: In 2015, MCPS former Director of Transportation Todd Watkins flew to Dallas and met with Dallas Schools Superintendent Rick Sorrells to discuss school bus stop arm cameras through the vendor Force Multiplier Solutions. Todd Watkins signed MCPS to participate in this no bid scheme and it is still in use today. After the company was investigated and 6 people connected to the scheme were convicted and sentenced, the company changed its name and became Bus Patrol America.
By Scott Friedman
Friday, January 27, 2023
Breaking: Senator Ben Kramer produces link to FY2022 School Bus Monitoring System and Stop Safety Review report (Mont. Co. was unable to produce report they wrote.)
At 12:07 PM today, the Parents' Coalition e-mailed the members of the Montgomery County Delegation seeking access to the FY2022 School Bus Monitoring System and Stop Safety Review report that was to be publicly available under a new Maryland law.
The Parents' Coalition had e-mailed the Montgomery County Government Public Information Officer on January 21, 2023, with the same request. Montgomery County Government was responsible for creating the report. The Montgomery County Government Public Information Officer never responded to our request.
However, within 30 minutes of our request to members of the Montgomery County Delegation, Senator Ben Kramer's office responded and provided the link to the report.
Thank you to Senator Ben Kramer and his staff for excellent constituent services and immediately providing the public with information that they were entitled to under Maryland law.
Here is the link to the FY 2022 School Bus Monitoring System and Stop Safety Review.
This is the first report under MD Code, Transportation, § 8-664 and 2022 HB0813 / CH0216 enacted during the 2022 Regular Session of the Maryland General Assembly to publicly provide information on the County’s school bus monitoring camera program and steps Montgomery County has taken to reduce violations of passing a stopped school bus through bus stop reviews and driver outreach.
*******************************************************
From: Parents CoalitionSent: Friday, January 27, 2023 12:07 PM
Subject: Where is public access to the School Bus Camera Annual Report mandated by the legislature?
In recent meetings the Montgomery County Delegation has referenced the first School Bus Monitoring System (stop arm cameras) annual report that was to be created and made publicly available by law.
The report exists and has been discussed. Where is it available to the public? Montgomery County Government has been unable to produce a link or PDF of the report.
Please provide a link or PDF to this report. If the report has not been made public, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD will be happy to assist by creating a public link to the report.
Janis Zink Sartucci
Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD
*************************************************************
From: MGA Library
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2023 12:33 PM
To: Kramer, Ben Senator Ben.Kramer@senate.state.md.us
Subject: RE: Request for Document FW: Where is public access to the School Bus Camera Annual Report mandated by the legislature?
Good afternoon,
The following is a link to the PDF of that report:
https://dlslibrary.state.md.
The catalog record also has a link for a data download. When you click on it, it downloads a spreadsheet with years and where the violations occurred:
https://dlslibrary.state.md.
Tammy Shay
Legislative Director for
Senator Ben Kramer
District 19
Miller Senate Office Building
11 Bladen Street, Room 401
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-3151 ph
410-841-3740 fax
*****************************************************************
From: Parents Coalition
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2023 10:00 PM
To: Hudson, Barry <Barry.Hudson@montgomerycountymd.gov>
Subject: MPIA for Bus Camera Report
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2023 10:00 PM
To: Hudson, Barry <Barry.Hudson@montgomerycountymd.gov>
Subject: MPIA for Bus Camera Report
This is a request under the Maryland Public Information Act for the annual Report that has been issued as required under Maryland Article – Transportation Section 8–663 as passed by the Maryland legislature.
Maryland law now requires Montgomery County to annually submit a certain report; requiring Montgomery County, in coordination with the Maryland Department of Transportation, to examine data relating to school bus stop violations and to make that report publicly available.
This report is to be publicly available, by law. Please provide the link to the report if already posted or provide the PDF by return e-mail.
Thank you for your immediate response to this request.
Janis Zink Sartucci
Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
How many times will @mcps @mocoboe buy GPS/Bus Tracking App for School Buses and still not use it?
💲💲💲 On December 20, 2022, Montgomery County Superintendent Monifa McKnight announced that she was requesting $1.5 million in funding in the MCPS Operating Budget for a school bus tracking app.
Again?
MCPS school buses are already equipped with GPS and tracking apps. How many times is this function going to be "funded" for MCPS school buses?
To date, none of the previous purchases have been put into use.
2016
The Board of Education contracted with Force Multiplier Solutions to put a GPS tracking system on all MCPS school buses.
2017
GPS was installed on all MCPS school buses at no charge.
2019
The Bus Patrol School Bus Safety System™ is capable of equipping every school bus in MCPS’ fleet with interior, exterior, and stop-arm enforcement video cameras with recording and real-time viewing capabilities, and live and historical Global Positioning System (GPS) location reporting
2020
"...there is an addition of $750,000 for school bus mobile apps for tracking real-time GPS..."
2022
- Introduce School Bus Tracking Software
For MCPS families, the budget recommends an app that allows users to track their child's school bus in real time. ($1.5 million)
WTOP: App for bus tracking, free AP testing and extended school year calendar in proposed MCPS budget
“We will be investing in an app for families to track their child’s bus, so that they know where it is and when it’s coming,” McKnight said...
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Delegate David Moon wants to spend stop-arm school bus camera citation revenue, but there is no indication there is any revenue.
Montgomery County Delegation
Bill Hearing
December 15, 2021
MC 3-22 Montgomery County – Speed and School Bus Monitoring Systems
Janis Zink Sartucci - Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, MD
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on MC 03-22. This bill seeks to use the revenue from school bus stop arm camera citations to build medians on busy roads.
Are these medians needed at this locations? If so, what revenue?
The public used to be able to track the revenue from the stop arm camera citations on the MCPS Funding Accountability and Transparency Reporting Database. But MCPS stopped reporting any revenue on that database in October of 2020. Not one single thing has been posted on that database since then. Fiscal Year 2022 isn’t even an option on the drop down menu. As you recall, the legislature changed the reporting requirement in2019, and MCPS took that opportunity to stop posting to that database all together. We know there is a rumor that MCPS still “voluntarily” posts to the database, stop spreading the rumor and stick to the facts. The database is dead.
On March 7, 2019, I spoke to the House Ways and Means Committee and documented that stop arm school bus camera citation revenue could not be tracked.
In December of 2019, Montgomery County’s Office of the CountyExecutive, Office of Internal Audit released a Financial ComplianceReview of Bus Patrol America, LLC, the vendor handling the stop arm citations. Here’s a copy of that financial review. [Delegation shown blank piece of paper.]
Yes, the entire document has been redacted and withheld for two years. Who knows if there is any revenue from citations? We have filed a Maryland Public Information Act request for this report to be made public, but 46 days later nothing has been released. We have requested the the assistance of the Maryland PIA Ombudsman.
Montgomery County Internal Audit (MCIA) conducted a financial compliance review of BusPatrol for transactions occurring from July 1, 2016 through August 31, 2019, with the following objectives:
1. Obtain supporting documentation and verify the validity of charges billed to the County;
2. Calculate the total amount of payments made to BusPatrol and compare to the “Cost of Investment” reconciliation prepared by BusPatrol defined in the Agreement;
3. Confirm if (or when anticipated) the break-even point would be reached;
4. Perform analysis of any payments owed by the County to BusPatrol. This report summarizes the review performed.
THIS REPORT CONTAINS PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND IS CONSIDERED CONFIDENTIAL. THE REPORT IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC .
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/exec/internal_audit.html
This bill seeks to spend stop arm school bus camera revenue that can’t be documented and may not even exist.
This bill doesn’t address that school bus stops on multi-lane roads are inherently dangerous. The Federal Highway Administration has said that school systems should minimize or avoid multi-lane roads where pedestrians are most at risk of injury.
Finally, what happened to stop arm school bus cameras as part of a public safety campaign around Montgomery County school buses? What happened to that? Has even $1 of citation revenue been used to do anything to help keep County children safe around school buses?
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