Reporter Seeks Montgomery County Residents who have had experiences with school bus stop-arm ticketing program.

Hey, folks. My name is Byard Duncan. I’m an award-winning reporter with Type Investigations, focused on consumer protection issues. You can read some of my previous work here: https://www.propublica.org/people/byard-duncan  

I’m working on a story about Montgomery County’s school bus stop-arm ticketing program. If you or someone you know has experience with this program (either positive or negative), I’d love to connect. I want to hear from all sides in order to paint the fairest and most accurate picture possible. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach me via email: byardd@gmail.com. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to meeting you.

Montgomery Co. school bus drivers among biggest rule-breakers for passing stopped school buses, report finds

In a report examining some school system-based purchases, Montgomery County’s Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi found that 1,622 traffic citations were issued to employees operating school vehicles.

And of those issued citations, 1,062 were given to school transportation employees. According to the report, the 1,622 citations included fines totaling $155,174...

Montgomery Co. school bus drivers among biggest rule-breakers for passing stopped school buses, report finds - WTOP News

Breaking: Inspector General finds that MCPS uses MCPS Credit Cards to Pay $148,528 in Traffic Fines. 85% of Bus Fines were for MCPS BUS DRIVERS PASSING SCHOOL BUSES!

The Montgomery County Inspector General has issued a report about the number and types of automated red light, speeding and school bus stop arm camera citations received by MCPS staff.  The IG was alerted to this issue when the office discovered MCPS staff using MCPS credit cards to pay their personal traffic citations.  

The IG issued an investigative report, shown below, and provided Superintendent McKnight with an advance version.  

McKnight did not respond. Instead, the MCPS COO Brian Hull responded and completely ignored the IG's concerns as detailed in the report.  

2023 OIG Investigation Traffic Citations MCPS by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

https://montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGActivity/FY2023/OIG23-12.pdf

MCPS Board of Ed. approves 40/60 payment plan with school bus stop-arm camera contractor. Zero $$ for Police Department.

Montgomery County Inspector General's Report on bus stop arm camera scheme from 2019

Extended stop sign arm installed on school bus eliminates passing: Move solves problem

KEYSER, W.Va. – The addition of a five-foot stop sign arm installed on one of Mineral County’s school buses is proving to be helping to keep children safer, school officials said.

John Droppleman of the school system’s transportation department told the Board of Education on Tuesday that the extended arm was installed on bus No. 57.

“That was a bus that the driver indicated he had seen cars passing the bus when it was stopped to load and unload students,” Droppleman said, adding that there has been a significant improvement since the extension was installed.

The new arm extends five feet farther from the side the the bus.

“There were an increased number of stop arm violations reported,” he said. “Since the installation of the arm two weeks ago, there has not been a single violation reported.”

https://www.times-news.com/news/local_news/extended-stop-sign-arm-installed-on-school-bus-eliminates-passing/article_9013b790-70a1-5b8c-a625-71c115d6192f.html?fbclid=IwAR0XdHCblCZ7QT3beAawUYHhSbvL0RqYct3wIjP67R8A_y-wH54eJQu2H0A#utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

NCSL: State School Bus Stop-Arm Camera Laws

A growing number of states are attempting to catch and punish motorists who pass stopped school buses by allowing cameras to be placed on the outside of the bus to record such illegal passing. At least 21 states have school bus stop-arm camera laws.

In 2019, Indiana, Maine, New York, Oklahoma and Tennessee authorized localities or school districts to use school bus stop-arm cameras. Pennsylvania did so in 2018, and in the 2017 legislative session, Arkansas and Utah passed legislation to allow school bus stop-arm cameras. In 2016, Alabama enacted a law allowing for exterior school bus cameras, expanding a program initially created in 2015 in Mobile County. In the 2014 legislative session, South Carolina and Wyoming enacted such laws. In the 2011 and 2012 legislative sessions, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington enacted such measures...

http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/state-school-bus-stop-arm-camera-laws/fbclid/iwar2okp6dhnihrmfotngiprwli-olbmiuandsnechlh3cg0rwffop71ulsna.aspx

FBI News: Putting a Stop to Public Corruption Dallas Officials Lined Pockets with Proceeds from Stop-Arm Bus Cameras @mcps @mcpnews @mococouncilmd

Several years ago, the school transportation provider in Dallas added stop-arm cameras to their school buses to keep students safer and bring in revenue from traffic tickets.

Taxpayers ended up paying millions of dollars for the cameras—but they brought in little revenue.

The school transportation provider continued to buy the cameras because the camera company lined the pockets of multiple public officials. And as a result of an FBI and Internal Revenue Service investigation, those involved in the scheme are now serving prison sentences.

Robert Leonard Jr., CEO of the company that manufactured the cameras, paid several bribes to benefit his company, including $450,000 in multiple cash payments, trips, and other gifts to Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway. In exchange, Caraway cast votes on the council in favor of the cameras.

“They needed an ordinance to ticket drivers who were caught passing the camera,” said Special Agent Erik Tighe, who investigated this case out of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office. “Caraway was instrumental in making that ordinance happen. He accepted bribes to continue the program.”

Tighe and the investigative team used a combination of human sources and financial analysis to unravel the network of bribes.

“They just kept using taxpayer funds as a piggy bank.”

Erik Tighe, special agent, FBI Dallas

Caraway pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion charges and was sentenced in April 2019 to 56 months in prison. Leonard pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges and was sentenced in May to seven years in prison.

Ultimately, the taxpayer-funded transportation provider paid the camera manufacturer $70 million for the cameras. They continued to pay even though the cameras were bringing in less revenue than they cost.

According to court documents, the program caused “significant and ultimately debilitating debt” for the transportation provider, which eventually closed due to that debt, forcing schools to find another transportation option for students.

“They just kept using taxpayer funds as a piggy bank,” Tighe said. “It had a huge impact on the community. Thousands of people were affected by this corruption.”

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/corrupt-public-official-sentenced-082919

“We never saw any money,” Eanes school district spokeswoman Claudia McWhorter said in an email. The district dropped the technology last year.

Red-light camera ban also stops bus-camera program in most areas

Texas banned red light cameras in June, joining at least seven states that have halted use of the traffic devices, which advocates say save lives but which ran into controversy over that claim and other problems.

The measure outlawing red-light cameras also ended the use of school bus cameras, which take pictures of motorists passing stopped school buses discharging students. Whether that was the legislature’s intent wasn’t clear; the author of the bill, state Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford), did not respond to requests for comment. 

As a result, at least a dozen Texas school districts that signed contracts with the now-defunct Dallas County Schools, the public agency that worked with a private company for years to outfit buses with the cameras, will never see a penny of revenue for the plan that they were told would add millions of dollars to their coffers...

https://texasmonitor.org/red-light-camera-ban-also-stops-bus-camera-program-in-most-areas/

The money didn't materialize — in part because of judges throwing out many of the tickets issued based on evidence from the cameras — and the district was stuck with the bill.

Former Dallas County Schools Chief Gets Seven Years for Role in Bribery Scheme

...“You were living high on the hog,” Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn told Sorrells during his sentencing hearing, according to reporters in the federal courtroom. "You were supposed to be a faithful servant to your community ... I don’t forgive you for what you did."..

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-school-bus-czar-gets-seven-years-in-corruption-probe-11728453

report found that the school bus cameras have not reduced violations, nor have they reduced accidents involving school children

...The report explained that the county has generated none of the revenue it had anticipated from the school bus camera program, while the vendor has pocketed $10 million. The report concluded that the contract failed to follow the normal public bidding process and instead created an arrangement that favored the camera vendor.

"The business case for this program was built around the desired use of a predetermined vendor rather than an objective analysis to design an effective and economical method to achieve an identified outcome," the report found.

To bypass the public bidding process, Montgomery County latched onto the contract between Force Multiplier and the school board in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. While the Louisiana deal had East Baton Rouge splitting profits with Force Multiplier, the Montgomery County "bridge" contract stated Force Multiplier would keep the first $18 million in revenue generated. After that, the company would keep the first $1 million generated annually before splitting any profits.

"Although we have not undertaken a forensic accounting review of the MCPS program, it appears to be structured much like the Dallas County School District program which ultimately led to the bankruptcy of the school district," Blansitt wrote. "Much like the situation in Dallas County, Montgomery County appears to potentially bear the financial burden of vendor failure."

As for safety, the report found that the school bus cameras have not reduced violations, nor have they reduced accidents involving school children. As national statistics show, such accidents are exceedingly rare and none were recorded in the four years before the cameras were activated...

https://www.thenewspaper.com/news/67/6768.asp

In 2015, county school and police officials traveled to Texas to meet with FMS to "get a first-hand look at their product and operation," according to the report.

County Watchdog Concerned About School Bus Camera Agreement

Montgomery County's inspector general has concerns about a deal that puts surveillance cameras in more than 1,000 county school buses.

ROCKVILLE, MD — A new report by Montgomery County's inspector general is raising concerns about a deal between the public school system and the vendor in charge of installing surveillance cameras in school buses. Questions were raised over whether Montgomery County Public Schools carefully considered a contract with the vendor — whose CEO went to jail for fraud and bribery — and whether the county will receive money from fines drivers caught by the cameras will pay.

In June 2016, Montgomery County Public Schools entered a contract with Force Multiplier Solutions (FMS) to get cameras — including exterior stop-arm cameras — installed in all school buses. Through this system, drivers who fail to wait for signalized stopped school buses will be captured in enforcement photos and issued a fine.

In his report, Montgomery County Inspector General Edward L. Blansitt III said he has no problem with the school system trying to keep children safe, but rather takes issue with the agreement officials have with FMS...

https://patch.com/maryland/rockville/county-watchdog-concerned-school-bus-camera-agreement

"the company began paying Sorrells' credit card bills and other debts in order to avoid direct cash payments, according to Sorrells' plea agreement. "

Former Dallas County Schools Chief Gets Seven Years for Role in Bribery Scheme

...The money didn't materialize — in part because of judges throwing out many of the tickets issued based on evidence from the cameras — and the district was stuck with the bill. Amid the fallout from the failed camera program and a series of managerial missteps, Dallas County voters approved dissolving DCS in November.

According to federal court documents, Sorrells began receiving payments from a company selling the district cameras in 2010. (Force Multiplier Solutions isn't mentioned in Sorrells' indictment by name, but it's the only company that sold stop-arm cameras to DCS, according to KXAS-TV.)

After DCS agreed to buy between 100 and 150 cameras from Force Multiplier Solutions in 2010, the company began to make payments to Sorrells through a series of shell companies set up by the superintendent.

Eventually, the company began paying Sorrells' credit card bills and other debts in order to avoid direct cash payments, according to Sorrells' plea agreement. Slater Swartwood Sr., the former owner of Force Multiplier Solutions, pleaded guilty in 2017 to federal money laundering charges related to the bribes paid to Sorrells.

"This defendant pocketed a whopping $3.5 million in bribes, simultaneously crippling the agency he was tapped to lead and undermining the public’s trust in city officials. The citizens of Dallas deserve better — and they should rest assured that we are committed to rooting out public corruption wherever we find it," U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in a statement...

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-school-bus-czar-gets-seven-years-in-corruption-probe-11728453

Montgomery County Public Schools contract with BusPatrol America questioned

Montgomery County’s inspector general is questioning the school system’s bus-camera contract with a company that was involved in a bribery scandal in Texas, noting that all of the revenue from bus-camera tickets goes to the company...

...Like the speed camera program, the bus cameras issue $250 tickets to the owners of those cars — and the company keeps 100% of the revenue until its estimated investment of $18 million is paid off.

BusPatrol America in 2017 bought the contract that Montgomery County Public Schools negotiated with Force Multiplier Solutions...

...The contract, which varied from the Louisiana model, was pitched to the Montgomery County Council as a “no-cost” program, aside from the costs of hiring staff to review camera footage to determine a violation.

“There is a cost because the revenue that comes in from the tickets, that they aren’t getting, is the cost to the county,” Mr. Blansitt said. “So far, as I know, it is $15 million.”

The inspector general said that if MCPS had purchased the cameras or gone through a competitive bidding process, it might have gotten a better deal.

“BusPatrol currently maintains both ownership of the cameras and the associated obligations...

...“Anytime there is a potential savings or potential mismanagement of county funds, that is concerning,” said council member Will Jawando, at-large Democrat. “While it doesn’t look to me that did anything wrong or improper, but it does look like we could get a better deal.”

Mr. Jawando said the council will “dig into the circumstances” of the contract in September...

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/aug/8/montgomery-county-public-schools-contract-with-bus/

WUSA9: Montgomery School bus camera system ‘profitable’ for vendor but not the school system, report says

A report from the county inspector general raised questions about the company behind the school bus camera system that's credited with protecting kids.

...The contract terms, originally with a company called Force Multiplier Solutions, which has now been succeeded by BusPatrol America "...appear to be ambiguously, and generously, tilted toward profitability for the vendor to the disadvantage of residents of Montgomery County," according to a report by the Montgomery County Inspector General's office.

"Montgomery County nor MCPS has not received any ticket revenue yet, and it is unknown when they will," the report says...

...The Inspector General criticized police and school officials for eagerly doing business with Force Multiplier Solutions after the company's CEO was convicted in a fraud and bribery scandal that sent two Texas public officials to prison and bankrupted the school bus agency in Dallas.

The successor company, BusPatrol America, “other than changing the name, except for the CEO, many of the same managers, employees, equipment and contracts are still in place,” the IG's report said...

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/montgomery-school-bus-camera-system-profitable-for-vendor-but-not-the-school-system-report-says/65-1d388261-67c0-4275-a919-20e0e5551585

The Texas Monitor: Maryland officials skeptical about bus camera program with ties to Dallas debacle

A school bus camera program with ties to the same plan that landed two Dallas area officials in prison has run into trouble with regulators in Maryland.

In Texas, former bus agency superintendent Rick Sorrells was sentenced this week to seven years in federal prison for taking bribes from officials for a company called Force Multiplier Solutions, in return for agreeing to use the company’s cameras in the agency’s school buses. The cameras’ purpose is to record drivers who fail to stop for buses loading or unloading, as required by law in all states.

Force Multiplier sold its technology to Bus Patrol, a Montreal-based company that took over a similar contract for use of its cameras in school buses in Montgomery County, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C.

Now a state inspector general in Maryland is questioning the connections between Sorrells and school officials in that county. Bus Patrol is the target of that report...

...They had no idea that Sorrells and several others would be arrested on federal charges. But even when the indictments began in late 2017, with the cameras in place in Montgomery County, the Maryland parties continued to carry out the deal without questioning it.

“We … question whether an appropriate business case was presented supporting County involvement … and if a proper reassessment was made once serious issues involving the selected vendor came to be known,” the state report says...

...Motorists in Texas have complained since the indictments of receiving tickets that may or may not be valid. In one case, a collections notice was sent to a West Lake Hills woman on forged stationary, alleging she was on the hook for a driving infraction...

https://texasmonitor.org/maryland-officials-skeptical-about-bus-camera-program-with-ties-to-dallas-debacle/

County Inspector Questions Integrity of MCPS Bus Camera Contract

Omitted from this article is the Inspector General's statement that:

"In August 2015, prior to entering into the bridge contract, MCPS and MCPD officials traveled to Dallas, Texas to meet with FMS officials to “get a first-hand look at their product and operation”"

Who paid for the trip to Dallas? Who paid for hotel and food? That information is not in the IG's Report and has not been made public.Let's follow the money.

Report says school district, police department have not done ‘due diligence’ to evaluate agreement

 In a new report, the county’s inspector general is questioning an agreement between Montgomery County Public Schools and a company tasked with installing cameras on school buses.

Montgomery County Inspector General Edward Blansitt challenges the integrity of the agreement, and the school district’s commitment to ensuring its effectiveness, after the camera company’s CEO and other affiliates were convicted of taking and offering bribes associated with the program...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/county-inspector-questions-integrity-of-mcps-bus-camera-contract/

Man Who Met with MCPS and MoCo Police to Sell Them on Bus Camera Scheme Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison

July 7, 2016, Montgomery County Council meeting presentation.

In August of 2015, the MCPS Director of Transportation and two people from the Montgomery County Police Department went to Dallas, Texas to meet with people from Force Multiplier Solutions and the Superintendent of Dallas Schools, Rick Sorrells.  After that meeting, MCPS decided to enter into a no bid contract with Force Multiplier Solutions for stop arm school bus cameras.

Today, Rick Sorrells was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for taking more than $3 million in bribes connected to the bus camera scheme.

NBC Dallas reports on today's sentencing.

Ex-Dallas County Schools superintendent who had 'perfect life' gets 7-year sentence for taking bribes [Met with MCPS & Police in Dallas in 2015 to Sell Them on Bus Cameras]

...Despite his opportunities in life, Sorrells succumbed to the allure of something better: fancy cars, expensive jewelry and lavish trips. And it took $3 million in bribes to make it happen, prosecutors said.

"You just sold out the public for your own financial benefit," U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn said Wednesday during his sentencing hearing.

The judge gave Sorrells, 73, seven years in federal prison for a bribery scheme that led to the spectacular demise of the school transportation agency known as Dallas County Schools.

Sorrells, the agency's former superintendent, took the illicit payments from the owner of a Louisiana camera company. In exchange, Bob Leonard's company received $70 million in contracts to provide surveillance cameras for the agency's school buses...

...Lynn said Sorrells was the most culpable player in the "sordid scheme."

"You were supposed to be a faithful servant to your community," Lynn told him. "You are at the top of the pile. This happens because of you."..

...The camera system was expected to bring in significant revenue by collecting fees from motorists ticketed for driving around school bus stop arms.

Dallas County Schools even bought thousands of extra cameras from Leonard's company and tried to sell them to other Texas school districts. But the promises of extra revenue never came true...

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/08/07/ex-superintendent-perfect-life-will-now-spend-7-years-federal-prison-taking-bribes

Rick Sorrells (met with MCPS and Police to sell bus camera scheme) is Still Assisting Feds with One Ongoing Matter

Judge Barbara Lynn is having a sidebar conversation with lawyers about whether Sorrells cooperation with the feds can be publicly discussed. Prosecutors daily there is “at least one ongoing matter” where Sorrells is involved in assisting. @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/qPJfuSRd01

— Scott Friedman (@ScottNBC5) August 7, 2019

Rick Sorrells Sold @mcps on Bus Camera Scheme. Today Rick Sorrells arrives for his sentencing in federal court. Facing up to 10 years in prison for taking $3M+ in bribes/kickbacks. @NBCDFW .@mcps .@mocoCouncilMD @KateRyanWTOP @Marc_Elrich @mcmdcao

In August of 2015, MCPS Director of Transportation, Todd Watkins, and two representatives from Montgomery County Police went to Dallas, Texas to meet with Rick Sorrells.
https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2019/07/how-did-mcps-school-buses-get-cameras.html

Today Mr. Sorrells is in court for his sentencing for actions related to this bus camera scheme.

Former DCS Superintendent Rick Sorrells arrives for his sentencing in federal court. Facing up to 10 years in prison for taking $3M+ in bribes/kickbacks. @NBCDFW https://t.co/xRM242UnJw pic.twitter.com/48Pso2xXK0

— Scott Friedman (@ScottNBC5) August 7, 2019