The Legislative Council at its May 6 meeting approved an ordinance to both allow cameras on the stop arms of school buses and to allow Newtown Police Department to use the camera footage to give infractions to people who violate state statute by passing the bus when the stop arm is deployed.

Council member Jordana Bloom said the ordinance subcommittee had changed some language in the ordinance that was "wishy-washy."

"We wanted to be clear on the use of any recorded images, that they would only be used for the purposes they need to be used for by the ordinance," said Bloom. "It is compliant with state regulations."

Councilman Chris Eide called the ordinance "way less invasive than having cameras everywhere," and said that the company the town would be using for the stop arm cameras was "reputable."

Eide said that with three children in the Newtown school system, he was happy to support the ordinance.

The ordinance authorizes the camera footage to be used in enforcement of state statute 14-279(a), which states that it "requires drivers to stop for school buses displaying flashing red lights on any highway, private road, or parking area." The ordinance states that the images will be used "solely" for the enforcement of that state statute and will not be retained for other purposes.

At the town level, violations carry a $250 fine.

The ordinance states, "If there are reasonable grounds to believe a violation occurred and the file captures the number, plate, color, and type of vehicle, and the date, approximate time, and location of the violation, the Newtown Police Department shall issue a written warning or citation to the owner in accordance with the requirements of Conn. Gen Stat §14-279c. (b) The Town adopts the procedures set forth in Conn. Gen Stat §14-279c and establishes a citation hearing procedure pursuant to Conn. Gen Stat §7-152c, which may include in-person or virtual hearings. (c) The First Selectman shall appoint one or more citation hearing officers, other than police officers or employees or persons who issue citations, to conduct such hearings."

In other council news, councilmen discussed speed cameras. During discussions of the Ordinance Subcommittee regarding speed cameras, it was discovered there were already 12 license plate readers around town that were installed 18 years ago.

Councilmen are unsure what data is collected or what the data is used for. Chief of Police David Kullgren at a previous meeting did confirm that those cameras are administered through Flock Safety.

They are all on state roads and Newtown Police Department monitors them. Councilman Eric Paradis wanted to bring this up to the LC as they discuss it in ordinance related to speed cameras.

Paradis and Eide expressed concerns that Flock Systems is creating a nationwide mass surveillance infrastructure that is aimed at making sure that every town has its system in place, creating a network so the information from one town is potentially shared with every other town. They are basically creating a method for warrantless surveillance of every citizen.

Councilmen felt there are more questions that need answers before moving forward and they intend to submit questions to Kullgren for answers. They felt there needs to be community conversation to see how residents feel about this.

Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.