Connecticut towns install license plate reading cameras on school buses amid privacy concerns

City and town leaders across Connecticut have been facing pushback from residents regarding automated license plate readers, which raise privacy concerns according to opponents. Despite calls for a pause on the technology to evaluate new policy guidance, several towns are proceeding with the installation of AI-powered license plate readers on school buses. More than half a dozen towns, including Vernon, Bridgeport, Danbury, Shelton, Stratford, North Haven, and New Haven, have contracted with a company called BusPatrol to equip their bus fleets with this technology. The system captures footage of motorists passing a bus displaying flashing red signal lights. The company’s technicians log these events and provide the recordings to local law enforcement. Unlike some other license plate reading cameras, BusPatrol’s cameras are activated only when a school bus is stopped with its warning lights and stop arm engaged, according to a spokesperson from BusPatrol. Since 2011, Connecticut has permitted the use of digital video as evidence of violations, and a 2024 law change has empowered municipalities to establish video monitoring systems and issue fines. In New Haven, which installed the technology on over 300 buses earlier this year, the cameras have recorded 12,000 incidents. Marc Petruzzi, chief of police in Vernon, stated that the cameras were installed to prevent future tragedies, noting that passing a stopped school bus is a significant danger to drivers. In the first three days of the program, nearly 100 motorists were recorded passing school buses, as reported by David Owens, a spokesman for the town. However, some residents are concerned about the storage and sharing of the video captured by these cameras. Dan Piper, an organizer for the CT Civil Liberties Defense Committee, expressed that AI cameras on school buses should be banned due to worries about potential sharing of footage with federal immigration enforcement and connections to other surveillance databases. A spokesperson for BusPatrol stated that the company’s systems are regulated by state law, retaining information only as long as necessary for law enforcement review and purging it once citations are resolved. It has been illegal to pass a stopped school bus in Connecticut for decades, yet enforcement remains a challenge, with thousands of violations occurring annually. In the past six years, there have been 12 fatalities and 23 serious injuries involving school buses in the state, according to Josh Morgan, communications director at the Department of Transportation. Connecticut lawmakers have established penalties for passing a school bus, with fines for first-time violations set at $450, and a recent update in 2024 allows municipalities to authorize video monitoring systems with fines for violations caught on camera reduced to $250. As more bus cameras are deployed, residents express increasing concerns about automated license plate reading surveillance. Connecticut has become the state with the highest number of ALPR cameras per capita in New England, with nearly 800 installations to date. Citizens' concerns have grown following reports that Connecticut ALPR cameras were searched thousands of times by out-of-state agencies enforcing federal immigration and abortion laws. Residents have attended town meetings to voice opposition to surveillance technology, questioning its effectiveness in reducing crime. A spokesperson for Flock Safety noted that many police departments in the state utilize their services, including license plate readers and drones. Last month, Governor Lamont called for a 30-day pause on new automated license plate reader installations while the Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council develops guidance for data retention and sharing. The pause aims to evaluate potential gaps in legal protections and improve communication regarding video technology and its use cases.