MANSFIELD — Mansfield police Sgt. Paul Lumadue is a father and grandfather who will not hesitate to ticket drivers who refuse to stop when a school bus is taking on or letting off children.
“We have got a major problem at Park Avenue and Mulberry when (buses) are dropping off preschool kids,” he said Thursday. “These are kids that are under 5 years of age getting on or off the bus (where) we have had multiple cars running that (bus) stop light.
“That really concerns me. I see these kids getting off the bus. We’re really concerned about what’s happening and I was happy to work with (Mansfield City Schools) on this,” said Lumadue, the MPD traffic supervisor.
The “work” is using cameras mounted outside a dozen MCS buses in early April that is capturing on video court-quality evidence for drivers who violate the law and pass a bus stopped on its route on any city streets.
That video is being forwarded to the police department, which is issuing citations.
District transportation supervisor Josh Cantu said Thursday the district purchased the cameras using a $16,317 Ohio bus safety grant.
“There is a button on the inside that a driver can hit to mark the tape. When I go in to pull the tape to watch it, I’ll know right where to go,” Cantu said. “We can then send the whole thing to the Mansfield PD.
“There’s a lot of people who are not stopping,” he said.
In the past, Cantu said, bus drivers have tried to write down license plates of drivers who illegally passed them while stopped. But, he said, they are more focused on children getting on and off the bus.
Lumadue said it was difficult to prosecute in those cases.
“It wasn’t enough to do an investigation that the law requires,” he said, a law that requires law enforcement to clearly identify the vehicle and the driver.
(Below are photos taken Thursday at the Mansfield City Schools bus garage on West Fourth Street during an informational meeting with Mansfield police Sgt. Paul Lumadue and district transportation supervisor Josh Cantu. The story continues below the photos.)
The high-definition cameras make a difference, he said.
Lumadue said 27 vehicles have illegally passed district school buses since the cameras went into usage on April 9. He said four of those drivers have been issued citations and the others remain under investigation.
He said drivers should understand the penalty is stiff for violating Ohio Revised Code 4511.75
“It’s quite heavy. The first offense can be a fine of up to $500. It’s a mandatory court appearance. You can’t waive it. It can also be up to a one-year suspension of your driver’s license.
“So it’s really serious,” Lumadue said.
He said the drivers he has contacted with the video evidence have admitted it was them behind the wheel.
“They said, ‘I obviously wasn’t paying close enough attention.’ They are apologetic and sorry about doing it because every one of them I have talked to have kids of their own,” he said, adding that about half of the cases involve distracted drivers on their phones.
“People are busy and have too much going on and aren’t thinking about that 3,000-pound or more machine they are operating and how easily it can kill someone by just one second of looking away and not paying attention,” Lumadue said.
He said some drivers are not familiar with the law.
“If a bus is stopped with its red light on … it doesn’t necessarily have to have the stop sign out … you have to stop 10 feet away from that school bus on a two-lane road,” he said.
“If you are on a multi-lane road, like Park Avenue, and the bus is on the opposite side, the two lanes going in the opposite direction are free to move. But everyone (going the same direction as the bus) must stop,” he said.
“We are not citing anybody when they just accidentally slide through as the bus is stopping. These are clear violations. The bus is stopped,” Lumadue said.
Cantu said the district has 26 school buses and he plans to apply for additional grant funding to put the cameras on all of them.
