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[[File:Bus Patrol.jpg|300px|thumb]]

[[File:Bus Patrol.jpg|300px|thumb]]

'''BusPatrol''' is an AI-powered surveillance system designed for installation on school busses. The marketed purpose of this system, is to capture the license plates and other identifying details of drivers who pass a school bus which is stopped on the road, in violation of the law. That information is then passed on to law enforcement authorities, so they can decide how to proceed.<ref>https://buspatrol.com/faq-2026/</ref> Typically, a driver who's information is captured by BusPartol, will end up getting a traffic ticket by mail. As of mid-2026, BusPatrol boasted having installed surveillance equipment on over 40,000 buses, across 24 states.

'''BusPatrol''' is an AI-powered surveillance system designed for installation on school busses. The marketed purpose of this system, is to capture the license plates and other identifying details of drivers who pass a school bus which is stopped on the road with its "swing arm" (or stop lights) deployed. That information is then passed on to law enforcement authorities, so they can decide how to proceed.<ref>https://buspatrol.com/faq-2026/</ref> Typically, a driver who's information is captured by BusPartol, will end up getting a traffic ticket by mail. As of mid-2026, BusPatrol boasted having installed surveillance equipment on over 40,000 buses, across 24 states.

In May 2026, internal documents from BusPartol were leaked, revealing that the company was allegedly making plans to start operating all bus-mounted surveillance equipment, for dragnet ALPR monitoring of all vehicles on the road, not just the ones breaking school bus laws. This data would be sold for analysis, to facilitate mass surveillance, of the same sort which [[Flock Safety]] has found quite profitable.<ref>https://www.404media.co/buspatrol-put-ai-cameras-in-tens-of-thousands-of-school-buses-now-they-want-to-give-cops-access/</ref> As with other mass surveillance systems, this location data on everyone driving in the proximity of any equipped school bus, would be available to officials without the need for a search warrant.<ref>https://gizmodo.com/cops-want-to-turn-your-kids-school-bus-into-a-surveillance-tool-2000763599</ref><ref>https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/leaked-plans-show-school-buses-134601230.html</ref>

In May 2026, internal documents from BusPartol were leaked, revealing that the company was allegedly making plans to start operating all bus-mounted surveillance equipment, for dragnet ALPR monitoring of all vehicles on the road, not just the ones breaking school bus laws. This data would be sold for analysis, to facilitate mass surveillance, of the same sort which [[Flock Safety]] has found quite profitable.<ref>https://www.404media.co/buspatrol-put-ai-cameras-in-tens-of-thousands-of-school-buses-now-they-want-to-give-cops-access/</ref> As with other mass surveillance systems, this location data on everyone driving in the proximity of any equipped school bus, would be available to officials without the need for a search warrant.<ref>https://gizmodo.com/cops-want-to-turn-your-kids-school-bus-into-a-surveillance-tool-2000763599</ref><ref>https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/leaked-plans-show-school-buses-134601230.html</ref>

==Legal and Privacy issues==

==Legal and Privacy issues==

Although the AI-powered [[mass surveillance]] of this sort can be useful, it comes with some significant legal and ethical problems. The [[Fourth Amendment|Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution]] provides strong protections against "unreasonable searches and seizures," without a legal warrant, which clearly defines who is being subjected to a search, what place will be searched, and the duration of the search. It also needs to be signed by a judge. Based on legal precedent, tracking the movements of a person over time, is a form of a search, which therefore requires a specific and limited search warrant.<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/585/16-402/</ref><ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/565/400/</ref>

Although indiscriminate AI-powered [[mass surveillance]] can be useful, it comes with some significant legal and ethical problems. The [[Fourth Amendment|Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution]] provides strong protections against "unreasonable searches and seizures," without a legal warrant, which clearly defines who is being subjected to a search, what place will be searched, and the duration of the search. It also needs to be signed by a judge. Based on legal precedent, tracking the movements of a person over time, is a form of a search, which therefore requires a specific and limited search warrant.<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/585/16-402/</ref><ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/565/400/</ref>

==See also==

==See also==