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Bus Camera Not Working When Taser Used on Student

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — A video camera installed a Stafford County school bus was not working when it was needed most.

A county sheriff’s deputy on Friday used a Taser weapon on a student who refused to get off of a school bus following an altercation.

A security camera on the school bus installed to monitor activity on the bus was not working. It’s a problem the school system is well aware of.

“For a number of years we’ve included budget requests for replacing the aging cameras, as well as the aging buses. Unfortunately, they’ve not been funded as other priorities have taken precedence. We repair cameras when they break if possible,” said Stafford schools spokeswoman Valerie Cottongim.

The problem in this case was an issue with the camera’s video tape. The camera on this bus is an older model that uses VHS tapes which, too, have become hard to replace, said Cottongim.

All Stafford’s school buses have security cameras installed and problems with the cameras aren’t usually known of until a bus is up for a routine inspection, or there is a need to check the video tape from the camera, said Cottongim.

In addition to cameras, all but 50 of Stafford’s school buses has a GPS unit installed. The county began installing cameras on buses eight years ago to monitor activity onboard and outside school buses.

 

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