OPP officer charged in school bus crash

These are violations by the Ontario Provincial Police officers dealing with statues such as the Highway Traffic Act, Liquor Control Act, Police Services Act, Child and Family Services Act, Mental Health Act, etc.

OPP officer charged in school bus crash

Postby Thomas » Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:47 pm

A member of the Wellington County OPP has been charged in connection with a crash between his cruiser and a school bus in Fergus.

The crash occurred Tuesday on Scotland Street, near Millburn Boulevard, while the bus was transporting a group of students.

The front of the officer’s cruiser was damaged in the crash, and the officer was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

A school bus and OPP cruiser collided on Scotland Street in Fergus on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014.

Nobody aboard the bus was injured.

Friday, police said that the driver of the cruiser failed to stop for the school bus.

Const. Alexander Smith is charged with unsafely starting from a stopped position under the Highway Traffic Act.

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/opp-officer ... -1.2144980
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OPP officer receives ticket after school bus collision

Postby Thomas » Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:47 pm

Wellington County OPP officer receives ticket after school bus collision

FERGUS— An Ontario Provincial Police officer is facing a driving charge following a collision between a police cruiser and a school bus.

On Tuesday at 3:50 p.m., members of the Wellington County OPP were called to Scotland Street in Fergus to investigate the collision.

Police said the officer failed to stop for the school bus and ended up colliding with the rear of it. The bus driver and the students on board were uninjured.

The officer suffered minor injury in the collision and was taken to hospital where they were treated and released.

After an investigation, a provincial constable with the Wellington County OPP was issued a provincial offence notice for the infraction of start from a stopped position, not in safety. This is contrary to the Highway Traffic Act.

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story ... collision/
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OPP officer in Fergus school bus-cruiser crash ticketed

Postby Thomas » Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:55 pm

The OPP has given one of its own officers a traffic ticket after his cruiser rear-ended a school bus loaded with children outside a Fergus high school on Tuesday afternoon.

The crash between the two vehicles happened 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at the corner of Scotland Street and McQueen Boulevard near Centre Wellington District High School.

Police said the school bus was stopped when it was rear-ended by the officer's cruiser.

No-one on the bus was hurt, but the policeman received a minor injury and was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.

The police officer has been issued a provincial offence ticket in connection to the incident.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener ... -1.2871192
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Does cruiser crash chatter offer lessons of substance?

Postby Thomas » Sat Dec 13, 2014 5:29 am

The Ontario Provincial Police may have encountered something of a communications case study this week following a collision Monday between a cruiser and a school bus in Fergus.

The OPP issued a news release about the afternoon incident within hours of the development. The statement provided a variety of important information. For example, it informed us that no students, nor the bus operator, were injured in the crash. It said the officer was treated at hospital for minor injuries. It also said an investigation into the collision was underway and information from witnesses was being welcomed in connection with the probe.

The statement made no mention of how the front of the cruiser came into contact with the rear of the bus.

Perhaps that contributed to this case becoming something of a social media sensation in subsequent days.

With no public police updates issued on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday about the high-profile incident, citizen journalists came to speculate on Facebook and elsewhere about the cause of the crash and the reasons for the OPP's silence on the matter. Claiming it was a case of texting and driving by the officer was a dominant theme of this unconfirmed reporting. That it was purportedly caused by the bus driver operating a vehicle without working lights was another allegation that was floated as fact.

The OPP in the region were quickly busy with other work and other communications matters. An unrelated transport rollover early Tuesday that closed a portion of Highway 6 for several hours occupied considerable attention. Wintry weather and the traffic woes it caused on Thursday was another focus of the police communications effort — and appropriately so.

Meanwhile, however, the void of public police communications on the cruiser-school bus accident coincided with a sharp ramp-up in the citizen reporting and social media sharing of that conjecture about this matter.

Perhaps the OPP elected not to provide an update during that period because its investigation remained unresolved. That's only a guess. Many other factors might have contributed to this silence.

On Friday, the service announced an officer has been charged in the matter — with a Highway Traffic Act offence, starting unsafely from a stop.

That officer will surely be mulling this matter further.

Seemingly the OPP should too — on different levels.

It's clear there's intense interest in this matter. It also seems to show that if this police service appears to lag in providing timely, public updates about such a case, new media reporting may explode and offer all manner of bulletins that might not do the OPP or other stakeholders any favours.

http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-st ... ubstance-/

http://www.ourwindsor.ca/opinion-story/ ... ubstance-/
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OPP Cruiser Collides With School Bus

Postby Thomas » Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:41 pm

(FERGUS, ON) Members of the Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a collision involving a school bus and OPP cruiser on December 9, 2014 at 3:50 p.m. that occurred on Scotland Street in Fergus.

The investigation revealed that the officer failed to stop for the stopped school bus colliding with the rear of it. The driver of the bus and students on board were uninjured. The officer sustained minor injury and was taken to a local hospital where the member was treated and released.

Members of the OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigation unit were called in to investigate the crash. As a result of the investigation, Provincial Constable Alexander SMITH, a member of the Wellington County OPP, has been issued a provincial offence notice for the infraction of Start From Stopped Position Not In Safety contrary to the Highway Act.

http://www.centrewellington.net/s/showstory?id=13431
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Questions about the appropriateness of the charge

Postby Thomas » Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:44 pm

A member of the Wellington County OPP has been charged in connection with a crash between his cruiser and a school bus in Fergus.

For allegedly starting his vehicle unsafely, Const. Alexander Smith faces a maximum penalty of an $85 fine and two demerit points.

“The vehicle struck the back of the school bus – it wasn’t passing a school bus – and the appropriate charge was levied,” OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor told CTV News on Friday.

A school bus and OPP cruiser collided on Scotland Street in Fergus on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014.

The crash occurred Tuesday on Scotland Street, near Millburn Boulevard, while the bus was transporting a group of students.

“The vehicle in front moved. The officer assumed that it was going to go forward. The vehicle stopped suddenly, and the officer struck the back of the vehicle,” Rektor said.

The front of Smith’s cruiser was damaged in the crash, and he was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

Nobody aboard the bus was injured.

By being charged with unsafely starting from a stopped position, Smith faces a lighter maximum penalty than he would have had police seen fit to charge him with careless driving, which carries the potential for six demerit points and a $400 fine.

The charge will not affect Smith’s ability to continue working for the OPP.

Click on the link below to watch the 2.5 minute news release (if it is still available) where members of the public express their opinion about the severity of the charge:

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/opp-officer ... -1.2144980
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Cruiser Collision Update - Police Officer Charged

Postby Thomas » Sun Dec 14, 2014 12:08 pm

School Bus vs Cruiser Collision Update - Police Officer Charged

(FERGUS, ON) - Members of the Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a collision involving a school bus and OPP cruiser on December 9, 2014 at 3:50 p.m. that occurred on Scotland Street in Fergus (Township of Centre Wellington) Ontario.

The investigation revealed that the officer failed to stop for the stopped school bus colliding with the rear of it. The driver of the bus and students on board were uninjured. The officer sustained minor injury and was taken to a local hospital where the member was treated and released.

Members of the OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigation unit were called in to investigate the crash. As a result of the investigation, Provincial Constable Alexander SMITH, a member of the Wellington County OPP has been issued a provincial offence notice for the infraction of Start From Stopped Position - Not In Safety contrary to the Highway Act.

http://www.listowelfreepress.com/story. ... tory=25021
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Photo of the collision
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Collision 2.jpg
Photo of the collision
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