Ask a Trooper by Sgt. Jesse Grabow- September 5, 2018

Question: I am new to the school bus world and have recently begun running a non-profit school bus company. Today I had a driver report a stop arm violation and I am uncertain where I direct those reports to in order for law enforcement to follow up. I did a little research and the only thing I was able to find as a helpful reference, aside from the MN State Statutes, is an article you were quoted in. Hoping that you can point me in the right direction for how to handle these reports. Answer: School Bus stop arm violations should be reported to the law enforcement agency where there would be jurisdiction in which the violation occurred. Report the violation immediately by calling “911” and the dispatcher will be able to determine which agency will need to respond and investigate. Some of the information that law enforcement will need to investigate a stop-arm violation would include: Date, time and location of incident. In additions, vehicle description such as the license plate, make, model, color and any other features of the vehicle are helpful in tracking down the driver. The violator’s direction of travel, how they passed the school bus, and was a child inside or outside of the bus are also important. Other helpful information includes the description of driver, number of passengers if any, and any other details you can provide. Helpful information on reporting violators can be found on the Minnesota State Patrol’s webpage:. https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ msp/commercial-vehicles/D ocuments/stop-arm-violationform- 11-15.pdf A portion of state statutes were used with permission from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Trp. Jesse Grabow – Minnesota State Patrol at 1000 Highway 10 West, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501- 2205. (You can follow him on Twitter @MSPPIO_NW or reach him at, jesse.grabow@state.mn.us).