During National School Bus Safety Week (October 21st – October 25th) law enforcement officials from across Wood County joined to promote school bus safety. This collaborative effort, coined “Operation Big Bird”, was created to bring awareness and promote safety of children in our community who ride school buses to and from school.
This multi-agency initiative involved officers from Perrysburg Township Police Department, Perrysburg Police Department, Rossford Police Department, Lake Township Police Department, Northwood Police Department, Bowling Green Police Department, Wood County Sheriff’s Office, and Ohio State Highway Patrol. Throughout the week, officers followed and rode school buses on their daily routes.
“Operation Big Bird” resulted in:
- 98 school buses followed
- Monitored 1,077 school bus stops with children getting on and off the school bus
- Five citations issued for passing a stopped school bus.
- School Districts:
- Bowling Green
- Eastwood
- Elmwood
- Otsego
- Northwood
- Rossford
- Lake
- Perrysburg
Wood County law enforcement officials remind you that passing a stopped school bus with red flashing lights is a misdemeanor and a mandatory court appearance. Most importantly, passing a stopped school bus puts the children of our community at substantial risk of injury. Officers will continue to follow school buses throughout the school year and they plan to make “Operation Big Bird” a quarterly initiative to further reinforce school bus safety among the motoring public.
