NOW A TARGET 12
INVESTIGAT
NOW A TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS
EXCLUSIVE:
"CAUGHT ON CAMERA:
DRIVERS BUS-TED."
(MM)
WE'VE OBTAINED
EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE
FROM CAMERAS
MOUNTED ON THE
OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL
BUSES...
SEE FOR YOURSELF,
IT SHOWS DANGEROUS
DRIVERS IGNORING -- OR
NOT SEEING -- THE
FLASHING RED STOP SIGN,
TELLING MOTORISTS TO
STOP.
(HE)
NOW, WE'RE GETTING A
LOOK AT -- NOT JUST THE
VIDEO -- BUT THE NUMBER
OF VIOLATIONS THE CITY
HAS ISSUED.
(MM)
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE IS HERE NOW
WITH THE EXCLUSIVE
FINDINGS
ONE BUS DRIVER I TALKED TO
SAYS,
CARS BLOWING BY SCHOOL
BUS STOP SIGNS HAVE GOTTEN
WORSE OVER RECENT YEARS...
FOR ONE MAIN REASON:
DRIVERS DISTRACTED BY THEIR
MOBILE DEVICES
IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE ANY
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER,
OR PARENT...
HOLD THEIR BREATH.
Laura Cooper
Providence School Bus Driver
(2900) "It's scary. It's very
scary, it's
frustrating."
[USE: Student Guardian
Providence
- Video 1.MP4 - VIDEO NEEDS TO
BE CUT FOR TIMING]
YOU'RE LOOKING AT VIDEO
FROM EXTERNAL CAMERAS
MOUNTED ON PROVIDENCE
SCHOOL BUSES, OBTAINED BY
TARGET 12.
WATCH AS THE FLASHING RED
STOP SIGN SWINGS OUT,
MOMENTS LATER A CHILD GOES
TO CROSS THE STREET...
AND SHE IS STRUCK BY A RIDER
ON A MOPED.
THE INCIDENT HAPPENED IN
MARCH.
YOU CAN SEE THE STUDENT IS
OK...
THE DRIVER... TAKES OFF.
Laura Cooper
Providence School Bus Driver
(2931) "It's frightening because
your
like, 'oh my god.' You're afraid
the
kids gonna get hit or the
monitors
gonna get hit"
HERE'S ANOTHER...
NOT ONE...
BUT FIVE CARS BLOW RIGHT BY
THE FLASHING STOP SIGN.
A CAR FINALLY STOPS WHEN
THE BUS MONITOR WALKS INTO
THE STREET.
NATS
HERE'S HOW THE TECHNOLOGY
WORKS:
TWO CAMERAS, ONE FACING
FORWARD, ONE BACK;
START RECORDING WHEN THE
BUSES LIGHTS START FLASHING
YELLOW.
THE VIDEO IS THEN
TRANSMITTED WIRELESSLY TO
A COMPANY CALLED REDFLEX.
THERE, THE FOOTAGE IS
REVIEWED,
AND IF A POTENTIAL VIOLATION
IS FOUND...
THE VIDEO IS SENT TO THE
PROVIDENCE POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
POLICE DECIDE WHETHER OR
NOT TO ISSUE A TICKET USING
THE LICENSE PLATE TO TRACE
THE CAR'S OWNER.
Laura Hart
Spokersperon, Providence School
Department
(1122) "This really is a game-
changer."
LAURA HART IS A
SPOKESPERSON FOR
PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
SHE SAYS 19 OF 144 BUSES IN
THE PROVIDENCE FLEET HAVE
THE TECHNOLOGY.
Laura Hart
Spokersperon, Providence School
Department
(0838) "Those buses have been
chosen because they're in areas
where we have a higher incidence
of
people running through the red
flashing lights. "
LAURA COOPER HAS BEEN
DRIVING A SCHOOL BUS IN
PROVIDENCE FOR 25 YEARS.
SHE SAYS BEFORE THE
CAMERAS...
Laura Cooper
Providence School Bus Driver
(3020) "We used to have these
little
cards and we sent them into work
and they'd send them to the
police
station and we didn't know if
they
got 'em or not."
IN 2015 POLICE ISSUED
ROUGHLY 800 CITATIONS,
ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE
PROVIDENCE SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT.
Laura Hart
Spokersperon, Providence School
Department
19:12:57
LH: The school department is
getting some revenue, but the
number one reason isn't revenue.
The numer one reason is safety
for
our kids.
AND IT'S NOT A CHEAP
CITATION:
GET BAGGED RUNNING A
SCHOOL BUS STOP SIGN IN
PROVIDENCE...
YOU'LL GET A 500 DOLLAR
TICKET IN THE MAIL.
THE MOPED RIDER DIDN'T
BECAUSE - TAKE A LOOK -
THERE WAS NO LICENSEPLATE
TO TRACK.
THE INCIDENT HAPPENED IN
MARCH...
POLICE SAY IF YOU HAVE ANY
INFORMATION AS TO WHO THE
PERSON IS THAT STRUCK THE
GIRL...
THEY'D LIKE TO KNOW.
Laura Cooper
Providence School Bus Driver
(3024) But I'm very happy now.
Because it's making some people
more aware and when you get that
ticket for that price, and I'm
not sure
what the price is, it gives them
a
second thought, next time they
see
a school bus, I'm gonna stop.
(3036)
BESIDE PROVIDENCE,
SCHOOL BUSES IN WARWICK,
NORTH PROVIDENCE, EAST
PROVIDENCE, JOHNSTON AND
HAVE THESE CAMERAS ON
SOME BUSES.
NEW AT 6: THE PRIVATE
COMPANY THAT OWNS AND
OPERATES THIS TECHNOLOGY
GETS A HEFTY CUT OF EVERY
TICKET. WE'LL REVEAL HOW
MUCH.
WITH THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIM WHITE
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
INVESTIG
NOW A TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS
EXCLUSIVE:
"CAUGHT ON CAMERA:
DRIVERS BUS-TED"
LIVE AT FIVE---WE
BROUGHT YOU THIS
SHOCKING VIDEO...
A GIRL IS RUN DOWN BY A
RIDER ON MOPED--- WHO
BLEW RIGHT THROUGH A
SCHOOL BUS STOP SIGN.
THE STUDENT IS OK...
AND POLICE ARE LOOKING
FOR THE DRIVER.
(HE)
NEW AT 6:
WE'VE LEARNED
PROVIDENCE
OUTSOURCES THIS VIDEO
TECHNOLOGY TO A
PRIVATE COMPANY -- AND
THEY GET A HEFTY CUT OF
EVERY TICKET ISSUED BY
POLICE.
(MM)
LETS GET TO TARGET 12
INVESTIGATOR TIM WHITE
WITH THE EXCLUSIVE
DETAILS
A CHANGE TO STATE LAW IN
2011 LOCKED IN A BIG SLICE OF
EACH TICKET - AT 500 DOLLARS
A PIECE -
TO THE COMPANY THAT OWNS
AND OPERATES THIS
TECHNOLOGY.
VIDEO, DOESN'T LIE.
AND POLICE IN PROVIDENCE
ARE USING THESE CLIPS AS
EVIDENCE...
ISSUING MORE THAN 800
CITATIONS IN 2015 TO DRIVERS
WHO IGNORE OR DON'T SEE
THE FLASHING STOP SIGN ON
THE SIDE OF A SCHOOL BUS.
Laura Cooper
Providence Bus Driver
(2851) they don't care. She'll
have
her vest on, the lights will be
flashing, and it just seems like
they
don't care (2857)
PROVIDENCE AND FOUR OTHER
COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE
OUTSOURCE THE TECHNOLOGY
TO A COMPANY CALLED
REDFLEX.
ACCORDING TO A STATE LAW
PASSED IN 2011...
THE COMPANY GETS 75
PERCENT OF THE REVENUE
FROM EACH FINE.
12 AND A HALF PERCENT GOES
TO THE STATE
AND 12 AND A HALF PERCENT
GOES TO THE CITY.
19:12:49
LH: So we wouldn't have this in
place if it weren"t for the
collaboration with Redflex.
LAURA HART IS A
SPOKESPERSON FOR THE
PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
19:12:39
LH: So I understand that from a
busniess point of view. From a
public point of view looking at
it and
saying seventy five percent and
what i would say is we wouldn't
have this because we don't have
the
capacity. We don't have the
equipment. We don't have the
people.
BUT ACCORDING TO REDFLEX,
RHODE IS THE ONLY STATE
THAT PUTS THE VENDOR
SHARE INTO STATE LAW.
IN VIRGINIA AND GEORGIA FOR
EXAMPLE, 100 PERCENT OF THE
FINES GO BACK TO THE CITY OR
TOWN,
AND THEY PAY REDFLEX A SET
FEE.
Laura Cooper
Providence Bus Driver
(2903) It's scary.
VETERAN PROVIDENCE
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER LAURA
COOPER SAYS:
MORE PEOPLE ARE BLOWING
THROUGH THE FLASHING STOP
SIGNS THAN EVER BEFORE,
AND SHE BLAMES MUCH OF IT
ON THE SURGE OF MOBILE
DEVICES...
DISTRACTING DRIVERS.
Laura Cooper
Providence Bus Driver
(2931) It's frightening because
your
like, oh my god, you're afraid
the
kids gonna get hit or the
monitors
gonna get hit and it's just
like, it's a
scary moment.
(TW)
BY LAW, TICKETS FOR
VIOLATING THE SCHOOL BUS
STOP SIGN RUN 250 TO 500
DOLLARS.
IT'S UP TO THE OFFICER TO
DECIDE HOW MUCH TO
CHARGE.
A TICKET IN PROVIDENCE IS 500
DOLLARS.
WITH THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIM WHITE