Suffolk County is launching what it says is a first-in-the-state program targeted at drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.

Since March, more than 3,000 school buses in the county have been equipped with cameras to catch drivers illegally passing them.

For the first 60 days of the program, violators got a warning.

"During the warning period we sent out over 10,000 warning violations in just 60 days," said Bus Patrol CEO Jean Souliere.

Starting on May 1, tickets will be issued to those going around a stopped school bus and officials have high tech help to catch violators. They're using an AI-powered camera that can survey up to eight lanes of traffic in different weather and lighting conditions.

Once the stop sign arm on the school bus is extended and the bus is stopped, the motion sensor will pick up any cars that might be passing the bus - and then cameras on the sides will record the license plates.

"Once the violation is approved, then the ticket is mailed and the offenders can go online and they can see a video of their car passing a stopped school bus," said Souliere.

Police say the first violation for passing a stopped school bus is a $250 fine.

Officials say more than 3,500 school buses in Suffolk are equipped with cameras, with another 1,300 expected to be installed.