re: School bus Camera Ticket

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If there’s not an officer there in person then the ticket extends no further than your pocketbook.

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Thats based on the assumption that theres no officer present to accuse you at trial. The reason you say that is because theres a company in Arizona that is outsourced to fine drivers with camera tickets. In cases like that theres no officer present when they issue a red light camera. Thats not what happened here.

In this case I wouldnt be surprised if EBR had an actual officer write the citation based on a report from a bus driver. If the officer shows up at court and says he can identify the driver and vehicle as the defendant he can wave bye bye to his license.

Heres the statute for reference.

Based on reading the statute, what makes you think this is a civil matter?

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§80. Overtaking and passing school buses

A.(1) The driver of a vehicle upon a highway meeting or overtaking from any direction any school bus that has stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children shall stop the vehicle not less than thirty feet from the school bus before reaching such school bus when there are in operation on said school bus visual signals as required by R.S. 32:318, and said driver shall not proceed until such bus resumes motion or the visual signals are no longer activated.

(2) The driver of any school bus is authorized to notify the appropriate law enforcement authority of any violation of this Subsection within twenty-four hours of the violation. This notification shall be in writing on a form provided to the bus driver by the school board, shall be signed by the school bus driver, under penalty of criminal prosecution, in the presence of two witnesses, and it shall include the license plate number and color of the vehicle. The notice may be sent to the appropriate law enforcement agency by mail, fax, or electronically. If mailed, the notice shall be deemed timely if postmarked the day after the violation.

(3) The appropriate authority may issue a citation to the owner or, in the case of a leased vehicle, the lessee of the vehicle involved, on the basis of this information. The owner or lessee shall not be cited if the vehicle is stolen, or if another driver is cited for the violation.

(4)(a) Any person who is found guilty of or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to a violation of the provisions of this Subsection shall be subject to the following penalties:

(i) If the violation does not result in the injury, serious bodily injury, or death of another person, the offender shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both, in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 32:398.2 and shall have his driver's license suspended in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 32:414(A)(2).

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