During the current school year, Crookston Public School busses and the Crookston Police Department have seen the number of School Bus Stop Arm violations skyrocket.
During the 2022-23 school year (last year), the Crookston Bus Garage reported two stop-arm violations. With four months left in the 2023-24 school year, the violations have racked up to 18. “What we’ve had is a large number of people that run the stop arm,” said Crookston Public Schools Bus Garage Transportation Director Rick Niemela. “This has been consistent over the years. We just haven’t been able to report them because we couldn’t get the license plate numbers.”
Niemela mentioned that a large reason that the violations have increased so much is because of the new camera technology that was installed on the buses. In the summer of 2023, the Crookston school district received grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety, which offered a specific program for stop arm lighting on buses and a camera system. “This past summer, with a grant from the state, we were able to install cameras on the outside of the buses,” said Niemela. “These capture the vehicles as they pass through the stop arm while it’s extended. This has allowed us to capture the license plates and vehicles to turn them into the police department.”
Two cameras are installed on the front and back of every bus. These cameras can capture both front and back license plates, as well as the make/model of each vehicle.
If a motorist passes a bus while the stop arm is out, it is classified as a misdemeanor in the state of Minnesota and includes up to a $1,000 fine. “These stop-arm violations are on the rise this year,” said Crookston Chief of Police Darin Selzler. “We’re probably five times higher this year than in years past, and I think part of that is because of the cameras, which is a good thing.”
In years past, bus drivers sometimes had difficulty accurately identifying license plates and vehicle models while also ensuring the children were safe. Selzler believes the number of violations is similar to previous years; however, new technology has allowed more efficient prosecution rates.
Selzler gave a message to all drivers in the community to ensure that our children’s safety is crucial and that abiding by laws and regulations when encountering school buses on the road is a priority. “Our children are a top priority and are precious,” said Selzler. “The ultimate goal is to keep our children safe. In the mornings (I get it), we’re all in a hurry, but the main message we ask motorists is that they are cautious and patient around the buses, and the stop arm is clear, the lights are turned off, and it’s not worth someone being injured because you’re in a hurry.”
