That’s the question asked by Lake Country Now in an article about an Utica, New York, Police Department investigation into a local shooting on May 24.
Officers were at a local intersection last week following a 911 call about shots fired from a passing vehicle into toward a house when a schoolbus came down the road. The bus reportedly turned before reaching the scene to drop students off. But later, those same students were seen walking down the avenue and “curiously watching the scene.”
An Utica police spokesman said authorities were confident that the suspects had fled and the area was secure. Still the article poses an intriguing question on what student transporters should do if they encounter a similar situation.
Eric Taylor is vice president of operations for Birnie Bus, which provides school bus service in the area. He said school buses “very seldom” run into such emergency situations. But when they do, drivers are trained to work with emergency responders, who radio dispatch or intercept the bus at the scene. Either way, the bus company contacts parents of any alternative stops or routes that result.
Utica Police echoed that responding officers will attempt to reroute the bus and may stage the bus in a safe location for a certain period of time until the scene is secured.
