Palatine PD Encourages Reports Of School Zone, Bus Law Violations

PALATINE, IL — With a new school year comes reminders from police, state and local officials about Illinois school bus and school zone laws. Students are back in classrooms across Palatine and Cook County, and this means bus stops are filled with kids during morning pick ups and afternoon drop offs. While Patch provides readers with refreshers on these laws, we wonder what parents and neighbors at or near bus stops are witnessing during the school year.

Your safety reminder: The laws and penalties for speeding in a school zone and passing a stopped school bus.

After all, kids run the greatest risk of being hurt when they're standing at the bus stop, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Patch recently asked Palatine Patch readers, "Do you see drivers stopping for stopped school buses (whose stop arm is extended/lights on), and driving under the school zone speed limit? If not, is there a specific area or school zone where you believe an increase in police presence is necessary?"

The following are responses to the above question written by Palatine Patch readers:

• Carol C., bus driver in Palatine: "Thank you for posting this article. As a bus driver in D15, I (we) see violations on a daily basis. We have a form to fill out if we observe a violation. I have contacted the Palatine Police Dept and here is the problem. No matter how many forms we fill out, nothing (SIC) is done . There is no action taken against the driver. Here's the fact: unless a police officer sees a violation, there will never be a ticket issued. A law (SB0923) was passed by the Illinois 98th general assembly and has been in effect since Jan 1, 2014 which allows stop arm cameras on school buses. Rolling Meadows was the only community within D15 that agreed to use these cameras, however they do not use them anymore. Perhaps if the Patch could do an investigation to find out why D15 chooses not to use the cameras? It is only a matter of time until one of our students is hit by a car passing a school bus. But as far as where the violations occur, parents picking up and dropping off their children in school zones is a good place to start enforcing the law."
• Graig D., Palatine: "Though I appreciate the local police force trying to enlighten drivers on the issue of safety around our school kids, I wish they would get involved in enforcing traffic laws as they pertain to bicyclists. I've had many close calls with bicyclists who totally ignore traffic signs and signals. The problem seems to be especially bad in the Winston Park area."

• Chris, Palatine: "I had a talk about this with the police chief over the winter and he basically said that the police used to stop and issue warnings to bicyclists for stop signs violations, but then the people would complain to the councilmen and they had to stop the practice. Yes you are correct Winston Park is the worst. People blow past stop signs without stopping and then flip off cars who had to slam on the brakes not to hit these 2 wheeled speed demons . it's only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed on Anderson, Winston or Rohlwing Rd."

Patch shared these responses with members of the Palatine Police Department.

Palatine Police Department Commander Dave Weeks and department members looked into these concerns, and Weeks told Patch one of his traffic officers spoke with members of District 15 Transportation. According to Weeks, the officer learned that the stop arm cameras were installed and monitored (similar to red-light cameras) on five school buses 4 to 5 years ago. They are no longer used due to a few factors.

"Due to the buses operating in multiple jurisdictions (Palatine, Inverness, Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows, Cook County, etc.), it was very difficult getting all of the towns to agree on the program," Weeks told Patch. "Equally frustrating was establishing jurisdiction since the bus routes went through several communities. Eventually, the company pulled the plug due to financial reasons because the lack of violations did not justify the cameras."

As for the School Bus Stop Arm Violation Report the school bus drivers can write up, weeks has an answer for that concern.

"When these forms are filled out, they are directly sent to the police department to investigate," Weeks told Patch. "According to the head of transportation, he rarely receives these reports from any bus driver."

Weeks added that it's not a matter of the police department not doing anything about the reports, as they would act upon "any report received from the drivers," and District 15 Transportation knows this.

Weeks encourages any residents who notice an increase in traffic violations (school bus stop arm, stop sign, speeding, reckless driving) to contact the police. Weeks adds that the violation report would be placed on a “Selective Enforcement” list and dispersed to all of the patrol officers and supervisors.

All palatine police officers are assigned beats (also known as territories, with certain times), Weeks said, adding that each officer in those beats is aware of the schools and the pickup and drop off areas.

"Keeping our students, staff, and parents safe at the school and arriving safely to and from school is paramount in our regular patrol duties and function," Weeks told Patch. "We routinely meet with various schools if there are any traffic issues or concerns, and address them immediately."

For community members wondering if police have seen an increase or decrease in violations involving school bus stop arms or speeding through school zones, Weeks said they wrote 18 citations for school bus stop arm violations in 2018, and 9 so far in 2019. Hopefully there will be a decrease from 2018 as this year ends.

"For speeding, there is not a separate code for speeding in a school zone," Weeks told Patch. "The speed limit decreases, but the citation is written as any other ordinary speed violation."

Weeks (and Patch) encourage readers and residents to continue reaching out when they see dangerous or distracted drivers.

"The Palatine Police Department is very proactive with identifying possible concerns, and work diligently with the schools to make sure that everyone is safe," Weeks said.

More information: Village of Palatine School Bus Safety Reminder

Patch reached out to police in Elgin, Crystal Lake and Algonquin neighbors and Patch readers regarding reader responses to the above question, and we will continue updating this piece as new information becomes available.

• Algonquin Patch: Police Encourage Reports Of Those Violating School Zone, Bus Laws