Wednesday 14 November 2012

Lawsuit attacks cameras mounted on school buses in Jefferson Parish


The lawyers who have been challenging traffic cameras at intersections in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans now are launching an attack on cameras affixed to school buses in Jefferson that catch violators who disregard bus-mounted stop signs. Their latest lawsuit argues that the cameras violate the Louisiana Constitution by using civil proceedings to address moving violations and giving law enforcement power to a company motivated by profit instead of impartiality.
school-bus-cameras.jpgView full sizeThe Jefferson Parish School Board approved a program in 2007 that uses cameras inside buses as a security measure against student misbehavior and driver wrongdoing, and cameras installed on the exteriors of buses to generate tickets for drivers blowing past when children are boarding or disembarking.
"It's the very same constitutional issues that we raised in the red light lawsuit," said Joseph McMahon, a lawyer who says he has signed up more than 20 plaintiffs in the school bus camera case and seeks to turn it into a class action. He filed the case last month in 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna.
The Jefferson Parish School Boardapproved a program in 2007 that uses cameras inside buses as a security measure against student misbehavior and driver wrongdoing, and cameras installed on the exteriors of buses to generate tickets for  drivers blowing past when children are boarding or disembarking.
The program was slow to move, however, because of installation problems and resistance from drivers who own their buses. School system officials said nine owner-operators now have the cameras, along with six buses run by a transportation company. That's a small portion of the 338 buses that traverse the parish for the public schools every day.
As currently written, the lawsuit spares the parish School Board as a defendant but instead targets an ordinance passed by the Jefferson Parish Council in 2008 allowing the creation of school bus traffic camera programs and setting fines from $295 to $500. McMahon said he could later add the School Board to the suit.
The New Orleans City Council created a similar ordinance in 2010. Education officials said last week that none of the buses operating under the Orleans Parish School Board have cameras and seven buses serving the Recovery School District are equipped with cameras but have yet to generate any tickets.
The lawsuit says the Jefferson program violates drivers' due process rights because the parish ordinance, "immediately assumes a plaintiff guilty or liable of overtaking a school bus simply because the plaintiff is the registered owner of the vehicle photographed."
The complaint says the program deprives drivers of the ability to confront prosecution witnesses against them, such as police officers, because the only witnesses are automated devices. It says the ordinance allows the parish to overstep its authority by carrying out enforcement on streets controlled by cities or the state.
Parish Attorney Deborah Foshee said she could not comment on details of the ongoing case.
The lawsuit names Redflex Traffic Systems of Phoenix as the company receiving enforcement powers that the plaintiffs deem invalid, although Redflex is not the company operating the school bus cameras. That job went to a Harahan firm called ONGO Live. A Redflex spokesman said Redflex doesn't offer a bus camera service.
McMahon said the Redflex name serves as a placeholder in the suit as he gathers more information for the case.
Redflex is the company that installed fixed cameras at intersections across Jefferson Parish. Those cameras have long sat dormant, however, after the Parish Council suspended the program amid concerns about portions of ticket proceeds going to lobbyists for the firm. Redflex then sued the parish over the camera freeze and its share of money already collected through tickets. Parish government has been holding about $20 million generated through the cameras in escrow.
That case remains pending, as do the other cases filed by McMahon against the validity of cameras as enforcement tools.
The contract between the School Board and ONGO Live directs 60 percent of the bus camera revenue to the company, 20 percent to the school system and 20 percent to the Sheriff's Office, which has deputies review the gathered footage of drivers. School officials said the district's share comes to about $20,000 a year and goes toward buying computers.
As part of his investigation, McMahon said he is seeking the number of tickets generated by school bus cameras in Jefferson Parish. School officials said they don't have immediate access to that data.
Mark Waller can be reached at mwaller@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3783. Follow him on Twitter at MarkWallerTP or Facebook at Mark Waller Times-Picayune.
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Lawsuit: Tusc. school negligent in school bus sexual assault

Posted: Nov 08, 2012 3:43 PM PSTUpdated: Nov 08, 2012 3:43 PM PST

Tuesday 2 October 2012

A new approach to mobile video surveillance


A new approach to mobile video surveillance - 

its time to switch to Plug & Play


With such economical challenges facing fleet & transportation directors its time for a different approach. It does not make sense to be paying thousands of dollars for black box DVR and camera systems currently being offered by the major manufacturers. Firstly they are expensive, but also you cannot move them, which means you have to fit a DVR system to every vehicle in the fleet...so in reality only a few vehicles are installed each year. Surely it would be great if you could move the camera system in minutes to a vehicle that is having issues whether thats driver or passenger. Not only that a system that doe snot include extra installation costs, is easy to use and captures High Definition video. Its amazing the leading DVR manufacturers like Seon Design and AngleTrax, Safety Vision do not offer High Definition as standard. The reason is that they can still sell old technology for a premium cost because if they all do it you the purchaser have no choice.

Plug & Play systems are a different approach and Transportation Directors are switching to them, isn't time you had a look at them.?

Thursday 27 September 2012

The benefits of Plug & Play mobile video cameras for your fleet
Truly flexible mobile video camera solutions with great savings
We are seeing a growing trend in the school bus transportation market with more and more Transportation Directors switching from the traditional fixed big black box DVR to the flexible plug & play solutions now available on the market.

The traditional mobile DVR is quite large and is usually located under the drivers seat. The cameras are then positioned onto the bulkhead and require fixed wiring behind the bulkhead panels. This adds extra installation costs from $150 - $250 per vehicle. Access to the DVR is difficult since it is located under the driver seat and makes collection of the video data extremely difficult. The DVRs themselves that are offered in the school bus market are based on old technology and firmware and do not capitalize on consumer electronics which have economies of scale savings and the lastest High Definition quality video. Because the DVR is fixed and so are the cameras it means that you have to purchase a system for every vehicle, which gets extremely expensive when these systems start from $1000 - $$2500

Plug & Play mobile video surveillance cameras offer Transportation Directors a number of key benefits. They have High Definition video quality so you don't need as many cameras on a school bus. They can be powered either by the cigarette power socket or wired to the battery so moving them to other vehicles is extremely easy. With different mounting options available you can install bulkhead mounts in every vehicle and move the camera units to vehicles you want to monitor. This means great savings. With solutions using SD Cards, with no moving parts and built into the camera itself you can easy take the SD Card out and view the footage on a PC. Also with cameras with built in screens you can actually see where the camera is pointing and make adjustments as required. With solutions starting from $295 Transportation Directors have a real flexible solution that fits their budget requirements.


tt-i offers the latest in plug & play mobile video surveillance cameras that have High Definition video, GPS, speed, location etc

For futher details view www.tt-i.info

Friday 14 September 2012

What School Bus drivers have to put up with

  

What School Bus drivers have to put up with


School Bus drivers have a tough job. Unfortunately our little Angels get upto all sorts when on a bus, from fighting, vandalism, bullying etc. Not only that the driver has to deal with angry parents who believe every word their little Angel tells them, without knowing the facts. The video above shows a parent not happy with her child being hit by another and takes matters into her own hands.

Video cameras can protect the driver as hard evidence shows what actually happened and can support the drivers actions.

www.tt-i.info

Drivers on Cell Phones


Drivers on Cell Phones

Its become a way of life these days that people seem to be compelled to answer a cell phone call, a text or a tweet as soon as they receive it, even if they are driving a vehicle at the time. This dangerous practice continues to happen every day even when new laws have been introduced, fines and driver training courses highlighting the issues. Drivers not only put themselves at risk but their passengers i.e children or passing pedestrians or oncoming drivers. 

How can this driver behaviour be changed. Drivers will continue using cells unless they get caught and their jobs are at risk. Onboard cameras capture the act, now Transportation Directors and Fleet owners have the evidence that shows the driver in the act and as a result take the appropriate action.

www.tt-i.info







Tuesday 11 September 2012

School Bullying

School Bullying

As every parent and School district knows school bullying is a complex and difficult issue to resolve. Bullying comes in many forms and with the internet it takes on a whole new dimension from the physical to the verbal abuse which is now shared among their groups online.

Schools have a difficult task of stamping out bullying because the grounds can be large and a lot of the activity goes beyond the school gates i.e bus stops, on the bus and walks home. However, the school bus can help identify bullies by having mobile video cameras installed and it can be done for under $300. Parents and School heads can actually see what is going on and work together to educate and change the behaviour before it gets out of control and escalates.

http://cyberbullyingsolutions.com/tag/social-media-and-bullying/

tt-i
www.tt-i.info


Thursday 6 September 2012

School Bus - How to choose a Mobile Video Surveillance Camera

How to choose a Mobile Video Camera system?


There are so many options from numerous mobile DVR manufactures out there on the market it is difficult to know what to look for. This post is giving you a few pointers which you need to consider before making a budget choice.

Lets start with Why? what are you hoping to achieve once they are installed. This seems a simple question but the technology is now built into some solutions to do more than just video capture, they can now be used for some degree of fleet management. The under lying question of budget and level of resources you have to support the solution also play a huge part in the decision.

So ask yourself this

1. Why? what are you wanting to achieve, is video all you want? do you want historical GPS data, Live GPS data (requires a cell network plan - extra cost) speed, wi-fi for connecting and downloading (extra costs in building wi-fi network in your yard and data storage onto servers etc, and training staff to support it?

2. How many cameras do you think you need, 1, 2, 3, 4 etc

3. Do you want standard video quality (bit graining) or High Definition (image is really crisp and can be zoomed into with out losing quality)

4. Do you want a camera system to be fixed and wired permantely into the bus? or have the flexibility to move the camera within the vehicle, or to any other bus within minutes without incurring any installation cost

4. Do you have budget (team) to install the cameras (tradition camera systems wired into the bulk head costs an additional $150 -$250 per vehicle) Plug & Play systems cost nothing to install

5. Ease of use - if you want just to capture video, and your happy with that and you don't have trained PC staff etc or much time then you need a simple solution that works. Their are a number of solutions from 2 camera systems built in with a lens pointing to the front and rear of the vehicle. The issue with these solutions is that they are only standard video resolution, difficult to point the lenses other than straight up and down. Or you use a Plug & Play solution that offers High Definition, can be positioned anywhere, built in GPS (no fee) shows speed and braking and yet is really easy to use.

6. Budget - do you have money to install the whole fleet or looking to buy a number per year. What happens to buses rouets who have issues and don't have a camera, with fixed systems you can do nothing, with Plug & Play just move a camera onto that vehicle within minutes and monitor whats going on. There is no reason that you have to play such high prices for DVR's anymore, manufactuers have been gauging the customer for years with old technology. Look for solutions that uses consumer technology - which is high quality and has volume reductions from the millions of chips and circuits sold in devices and leverage this benefit into your requirements. Would you pay $900-$1200 for a video camera for yourself these days...no....do you question the reliability of the technology no, do you expect to buy High Definition....yes as standard. So why buy old DVR technology for your buses...because most manufactures have not invested in HD,

7. Support - You run a complex operation, yes you need quality support. You should not buy solutions from the internet just becuase you have limited budget (a). You do not know whether the product is poor quality (b) you have no support to call if you have a question or need any help ...there are now new manufactuers in School Bus market who offer quality solutions and support

Anyway, if you have any questions, or comments then just send them over and I'll answer them for you.

www.tt-i.info

Wednesday 11 July 2012




tt-i Launches the new Buddy BX1500 mobile video surveillance camera ($375)



The BX1500 is a technically advanced, simple to operate, dash camera for your vehicle. Using a high resolution color camera at 30 frames per second, an internal 3-axis shock sensor, and built-in GPS, the Buddy BX1500 allows you to record detailed data throughout every drive. Once you have recorded data, the BX1500 playback software enables you to search, view and save the data to your PC...

BX1500 offers to both commercial and private vehicle operators an effective risk reducing means to aid in the investigation process, decrease collateral damages associated with car accidents, encourage safe driving, monitor driving behaviors, and enhance the overall safety on the road.

BX1500, an in-vehicle Event Data Recorder (EDR), makes constant recordings of video footages on a loop as the journey continues. A pre-determined amount of G-force will activate recording and put the latest image to memory; up to 20 seconds prior to contact (full-time recording is also an option).

Files are recorded directly to a SD card (32GB). These videos may later be viewed for surveillance purposes or evidence in an investigation. With integrated GPS, BX1500 records the speed, time, and location for post-crash analysis, providing concrete evidence for clarifying responsibility.

Thursday 21 June 2012

Teens Bully Grandmother: Caught on Mobile Video Surveillance Camera

The video is heartbreaking: a pack of junior high boys berating a 68-year-old school bus monitor in upstate New York. She's brought to tears as the students pepper her with profane put-downs about her weight, age, livelihood and more.
"You're not sweating?" one kid asks her. "Why's there water down your face?"
"I'm crying," she responds.
"She probably misses her box of Twinkies," taunts another boy.



Friday 1 June 2012

Why Plug & Play Mobile video Surveillance makes logical sense in saving money



The traditional mobile video surveillance solutions on the market today involves a DVR (basically a computer hard-drive) placed under a drivers seat and wires running within side the bulkhead to a fixed camera mounted on the vehicle ceilling. The problem with this approach is that the DVR is hard to access if you need to retrieve the video and their is extra cost for installing (ranging from $150-$250 per vehicle). Also you need the same set-up for every vehicle in your fleet which become extremely expensive. Traditional video technology is quite old now and the picture quality is quite low resulting in details of faces being lost, hence you need to install more cameras. Costs for Traditional mobile video surveillance systems and installation range from $1200 -$2400.

Plug & Play mobile video surveillance solutions (from tt-i) offer fleet managers an alternative modern approach to the problem of mobile video surveillance. Firstly HD quality video gives clean crisp images so nothing is vague and allows for zooming in without image break-up. Plug & Play as its name suggests means anyone can install quickly and easily without technical knowledge. It also means you can move the cameras to other vehicles, thus reducing costs and making your budget go further. If needed you can add more than one camera to a vehicle very easily.

Some Plug & Play solutions include built in screens for easy camera positioning, built in GPS for vehicle tracking, speed monitoring, driver alarm triggers on video, time stamps, motion detection, multiple mounting options such as screen and bulkhead mounts, Video is stored on SD cards which eliminates moving parts and is more reliable than traditional hard-drives and further reduces your costs.These high end solutions start at only $295 for a HD 1 camera solution with built in motion detection and go up-to $899 for the new Buddy BX4000 4 camera package being launched at the end of June 2012.

Technology changes so quickly so why invest in expensive video equipment that in a few years will be out of date i.e hardrives, connectors, GPS, video quality, viewing software etc. With Plug & Play solutions you can have the latest new camera technology every 2-3 years and it will still be cheaper than buying traditional approaches that you are stuck with and as time goes by they become more difficult to support and use.i.e no manufacturer in the world makes video tapes any more, CD's (Hard-drives) are being replaced by digital.

If you have any questions please visit  www.tt-i.info

Its time for a different approach


Driver blames crash on sleep apnea, steering problems


TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. — A school bus driver who crashed into a concrete post on Feb. 28 claims that her sleep apnea and bus mechanical problems may have contributed to the crash, the Journal & Courier reports.
Beverly Turner, 44, was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and had experienced daytime sleepiness for as much as a year before the crash. Initially, Turner blamed her daytime drowsiness on the water pill she had to take with her blood pressure medication, but the crash prompted her to look further into her symptoms.
Turner also claimed to have reported steering problems on her bus to Tippecanoe School Corp. in early 2012, but officials said there were no records of her report, according to the Journal and Courier.
As SBF previously reported, Turner was fired after investigators determined that she fell asleep at the wheel of her bus and caused the accident. Eight students were taken to the hospital after the crash.


Texting involved in School bus, car head-on

Posted: May 17, 2012 7:06 AM PDTUpdated: May 20, 2012 2:49 PM PDT
COLQUITT COUNTY, GA -
A teen driver and her 16-month-old baby are recovering Thursday night after crashing into a school bus head on outside of Moultrie.
It's a story we broke in an email alert Thursday morning.  Troopers say 18-year-old Mandy Lynn Davidson was texting and driving on Highway 37, a mile west of Moultrie, when she crossed the center line and hit a school bus head on. 
There were no children on the bus, but several people were injured.
This is what remains of 18-year-old Davidson's Lincoln Town Car after she hit an oncoming school bus as she was taking her 16-month-old son, Jonathan Conner, to daycare.
"This morning I was getting up and I just heard a loud bam! I came outside and looked. Didn't really see anything then I came down the step I saw the car," said onlooker Ken Bailey.
Georgia State Patrol troopers said Davidson was distracted by a text message when she swerved into oncoming traffic and hit the bus.


tt-i is a specialist in plug & play mobile video solutions for school bus operators. Our mission is to support initiatives for better student and driver safety. This includes anti bullying and vandalism.

www.tt-i.info

Funding cuts prompt Calif. district to eliminate transportation department

By Kelly Roher


www.tt-i.info

7 students receive home detention for bus beating

OCALA, Fla. — Five girls and two boys appeared in court on Saturday for allegedly severely beating a 13-year-old girl on a school bus, leaving the girl hospitalized, OCALA.com reports.
Judge Frances King released the youths to their parents and placed them on home detention. They had been arrested and charged with felony battery and disorderly conduct.
The victim told deputies that it was her first day on the bus and no one would give her a seat. Someone threw a shoe at her, and when she threw it back, she was attacked by several people.
To read the full story, click here.

www.tt-i.info
A new anti-bullying law before Gov. John Kasich would require schools to address bullying that happens on school buses. It's a move a Muskingum County family said is very needed.
The Jessica Logan Act was passed by the legislature Wednesday and goes to Gov. Kasich's desk within the next month to be signed. The legislation is named after a Cincinnati teenager who committed suicide after cyber bullying.
The legislation that goes before the governor is a weaker form of the legislation which as originally proposed in the legislature asked for schools to be responsible for bullying even if it occurred off school grounds if it had a substantial impact on school activities.
The legislation that goes before the governor is a weaker form of the legislation which as originally proposed in the legislature asked for schools to be responsible for bullying even if it occurred off school grounds if it had a substantial impact on school activities.
Among the changes proposed by the Jessica Logan Act, schools would be required to provide "age appropriate" education to students on bullying, have a policy that handles cyber bullying and address bullying that happens on school buses.
"It was horrible. I had so much anxiety. I was scared. I didn't want to send him on the bus," said Christina Phillips who lives in Philo, Ohio.
Her son, 8-year-old Cayleb, has autism. She said that last school year when Cayleb was in kindergarten he was repeatedly bullied by a group of boys on his school bus.
Phillips said at first her son sat at the back of the bus. She said the bus driver had difficulty seeing in the back of the bus, complicated by the fact Cayleb was short so he could not be seen over the seat.
Eventually, Phillips said, the driver moved Cayleb to the front of the bus where there was a camera. But Phillips said the camera was unable to see or film the first two rows of the bus where her son sat.
Cayleb has a now 11-year-old aunt, Adreana, who used to ride the school bus with him. Adreana said she tried to stand up for her nephew, but she could not fend off the bullies. And when she told adults, she said, they ignored her.
"I told the bus driver but she didn't believe me because she had no proof about it because they couldn't see the people up in front of the cameras," Adreana said.
Phillips said the school district told her they had investigated and that no bullying was occurring but her son and sister continued to report the problem to her. She said she also saw a change in her son's behavior. Eventually, she said, forced by the bullying problem, she moved her son to another school district where he is happy now.
Phillips said she believes the Jessica Logan Act would have helped her son and said districts need to take more responsibility for what happens on school buses. She said she would like to see more aides placed on buses to ride along and monitor students as well as more education for drivers on how to handle bullies. She said she also hopes the Jessica Logan Act will be signed into law.
"I think it's great. I mean I think the school should be held accountable...these kids are getting hurt. There's kids killing themselves over bullying. Something needs to be done," Phillips said.
Critics say the bill goes too far by addressing school buses, relinquishing parents of their responsibility to handle how students behave off school grounds.

www.tt-i.info

Thursday 10 May 2012

How to choose the right mobile video camera solution for your needs?

With many years experience working for leading manufacturers of mobile video security cameras for school bus we are available to ask any questions you may have. So if you want to know about technology, how they work, what to look for in a system, then please feel free to ask our product engineers...we are here to help?

info@tt-i.info

www.tt-i.info


Or start a discussion or post a question here

Monday 5 March 2012

Driver fired for falling asleep, crashing bus

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. — A Tippecanoe School Corp. bus driver was fired after investigators determined that she fell asleep at the wheel of her bus and caused an accident, WLFI reports.
Eight students were taken to the hospital after Bev Turner fell asleep and her bus went off the road and down a ditch, crashing into a concrete structure head-on. Thirty-seven students were on board the bus at the time. Eight students suffered minor injuries.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Hanback told the news source that a new driver has been given the route.

www.tt-i.info
Poll probes transportation workers' sleep issues
March 5, 2012
About one-fourth of train operators and pilots admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week, according to the National Sleep Foundation. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman says that the new poll, which includes bus drivers, "should serve as a literal 'wake-up call.'"

www.tt-i.info

Monday 20 February 2012

Funding restored for Calif. school transportation

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that restores funding for home-to-school transportation for the 2011-12 fiscal year. 

As SBF reported in December, $248 million for free school bus service in the state was slashed as part of mid-year budget cuts. 

Senate Bill (SB) 81, which took effect immediately, replaces the $248 million cut with an across-the-board revenue limit reduction at all school districts in the state. 

Mike Rea, government relations chairperson for the California Association of School Transportation Officials (CASTO), had been working with his colleagues in the association on this effort since the cut to home-to-school transportation was proposed last year. Therefore, Rea said that last week’s development was welcome news.     

“This was outstanding news for school transportation in California,” he told SBF on Monday. “We are very grateful to all of the legislators who made this bill a priority. School transportation funding is reinstated for this school year, but an equivalent $248 million cut was made to school districts’ base funding — their ‘revenue limit’ for this year. This ‘fix’ provided for a more equitable solution to the cut that was necessary due to lower than estimated revenues in the state's budget.” 

Brown’s approval of SB 81 also pleased some legislators. Assembly member Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) praised the governor for his swift action on the bill — it was presented to him on Feb. 2 — and thanked him for signing it.   

“I am thrilled that the Legislature and governor were able to come together to restore the funding that gets California’s students to school,” Chesbro said. “Home-to-school transportation is an essential service in my district. This bill was signed just in time to save the jobs of many school bus drivers and ensure that there is no interruption in getting kids to school.”

While the passage of SB 81 means that funding for school bus service is restored for this fiscal year, Rea noted that the work is not over in terms of restoring funding for the long term.   




www.tt-i.info

1 dead, 17 injured in N.J. school bus crash


CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — An investigation is underway into a fatal crash that occurred here on Thursday morning involving a school bus and a dump truck. 

According to the Chesterfield Township Police Department, the school bus, which was carrying 25 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, was en route to Chesterfield Elementary School when the dump truck struck the driver’s side rear of the bus at an intersection.

The impact of the crash then caused the bus to strike a pole. One student was killed in the accident — an 11-year-old girl who was the daughter of a New Jersey state trooper — and 17 students sustained injuries.

The children were transported to hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Police later said that three of the children are currently in critical condition, and the condition of two other children is unknown.

The driver of the dump truck was Michael Caporale, 38, and the driver of the school bus was 66-year-old John Tieman. No charges have been filed on either driver at this point.

Officials said that a full forensic exam of all evidence, as well as numerous interviews and technical examinations will be conducted as the investigation into the crash continues. The process is expected to take several weeks to complete.
The Chesterfield Township Police Department said it will be the primary agency investigating the accident, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, the NJSP Troop C Criminal Investigations Office and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The NJSP Commercial Vehicle Inspection Unit will assist in the inspection of the vehicles involved.

Chesterfield Township School District Superintendent Ellen McHenry issued a letter to parents on Thursday following the accident.

“Our entire school family is sadly grieving the loss of one of our students as a result of the accident,” McHenry said. “We are continuing to monitor the conditions of those students who were injured in the accident at this time.” 
By Kelly Roher


www.tt-i.info