FORT COLLINS, Colo. — An officer with the Colorado State University Police Department (CSUPD) was not cited after a video of the officer failing to stop for a school bus was posted on Facebook Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the department said.
Brittany Ramos first posted the video in a Fort Collins neighborhood watch group. It shows students running to board a Poudre School District school bus in the area of Colorado Highway 14 and Loma Linda Drive, which is east of Interstate 25.
Ramos told the Coloradoan she usually records the interchange every morning, calling cars passing the school bus "an everyday occurrence."
"This isn't my first video," she said. "I'm hoping to get people to stop, especially in the winter with our roads."
Once learning of the video, CSUPD reviewed the situation and identified the officer who was driving.
While it appeared the red lights on the bus were flashing when a CSUPD officer drove by the bus in the other lane, Dell Raie Ciaravola, a spokesperson for the department said, upon further review, the video shows that the doors of the bus were just opening as the officer drove past the bus and not while the officer was approaching.
"The yellow lights were still flashing and the stop arm was not yet deployed," she said.
Ciaravola said on Wednesday that the situation was treated the same as it would be for any driver and said that "appropriate traffic enforcement action" was taken.
Later that day she said, CSUPD determined "a violation had not occurred" and that a citation was not issued.
"Our officer understands and regrets the mistake and has taken responsibility," Ciaravola said.
Colorado law requires drivers to stop at least 20 feet before reaching a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended.
Your first offense is a Class 2 misdemeanor with a fine up to $300, mandatory court appearance and six points on a driver's license.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS