Trooper Kochka’s Korner

Quarterly Information & Observations for

Franklin Township & the Surrounding Municipalities and Boroughs

I hope this newsletter finds you all safe and healthy. In this article of Trooper Kochka’s Korner I will be talking about something we are constantly seeing an uptick on.  With school having been in session almost all year, we are constantly receiving reports on vehicles running the School Bus Stop Lights. While we all have a lot going on and are constantly rushing around day by day, we all must remember to slow down and stop for School Bus Stop Lights.  This WILL save the lives of our children.  We also have to educate our children on waiting until the bus is completely stopped, red lights on, stop sign out, and to look both ways before entering the road to board the bus. Each year, Law Enforcement as well as PennDOT participate in Operation Safe Stop. Operation Safe Stop is a proactive approach to educate the motoring public that passing a stopped school bus, when children are loading or unloading, is both dangerous and illegal. Law enforcement agencies, school transportation providers, pupil transportation associations, and PennDOT have combined their efforts to raise public awareness about the potential consequences and reduce the occurrence of illegal school bus passes. Over the past 24 years, PennDOT, along with law enforcement agencies and pupil transportation associations, have worked together to conduct Operation Safe Stop. Please see the below School Bus Laws below

Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law

· Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended.

· Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.

· Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.

· If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.

· Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.

For any Violations of the above laws in can result in a $250 fine, 5 points on your driving record, and a 60-day license suspension.

Slow down and help make sure our kiddos arrive at school and get home safe from school each day.

The Pennsylvania State Police, Avondale Barracks, provides full-service police protection and resources 24/7 to Franklin Township.  You can reach us by calling 610-268-2022 for non-emergencies however, in an emergency please dial 9-1-1

Again, as I mentioned in the last Township Newsletter, transparency between the Pennsylvania State Police and the Community has been my goal from day one in this position.  I believe it is very important as well as our obligation to keep the community aware of events going on around them. For current events or incidents, please follow me on Twitter: @PSPTroopJPIO.  

That being said, please visit the Community Access to Information Dashboard (CAID) to see the most up to date information/statistics regarding calls in Franklin Township. Here is the Link: PSP Community Access to Information Dashboard (pa.gov)

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

Trooper Kochka

Please be sure to read the advice just below about keeping your vehicles locked by clicking on the pdf document.