Amtrak Police Department | |
---|---|
Common name | Amtrak Police |
Abbreviation | APD |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Federal agency (Operations jurisdiction) | United States |
Operations jurisdiction | United States |
Legal jurisdiction | Amtrak Rail System |
General nature | |
Specialist jurisdiction |
|
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Police Officers | 431 |
Agency executives |
|
Website | |
police |
The Amtrak Police Department (APD) is a federal railroad police department of Amtrak (also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation), the government-owned passenger train system in the United States. [1] It is headquartered at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and as of 2019 has a force of 452 sworn police officers, [2] most of whom are stationed within the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak's busiest route. [3]
The APD has primary jurisdiction over Amtrak stations nationwide, trains, rights-of-way, maintenance facilities, and crimes committed against Amtrak, its employees, or its passengers. The APD is one of six American Class I railroad law enforcement agencies, alongside those of BNSF, CPKC, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific.
Since 1979, most Amtrak police officers have been trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) [4] [5] although some recruits may be certified through a local police academy.
Created by Congress, Amtrak's enabling legislation under the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, now codified starting at 49 U.S.C. 24101, established the authority for Amtrak to have its own police force.
The statutory authority was unique at the time and included interstate police powers. The Amtrak rail police law, now found at 49 U.S.C. 24305 (e), states as follows:
(e) Rail Police. —Amtrak may employ rail police to provide security for rail passengers and property of Amtrak. Rail police employed by Amtrak who have complied with a state law establishing requirements applicable to rail police or individuals employed in a similar position may be employed without regard to the law of another state containing those requirements.
In sum, Amtrak police officers have the same police authority as a local or state law enforcement officer, within their jurisdiction. They investigate various types of crime that occur within and around stations, trains and rights of way.
Since the September 11 attacks, APD has become more terrorism-focused. Such mission shift became even more prevalent after the Madrid train bombings in 2004. It maintains a robust K-9 division composed of patrol and bomb dogs.
APD officers work in partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement to perform their duties in accordance with the agency's mission to protect America's railroads. In theory, officers have jurisdiction in all the 46 states where Amtrak operates but generally are stationed in busier locations.[ citation needed ]
Each of the Divisional Commands provides various police services for the geographical area they cover. The different divisions within the department can be categorized as the following:
Below is the rank structure for the Amtrak PD. Ranks are listed from junior (bottom) to senior (top).
Title | Insignia |
---|---|
Chief of Police | |
Assistant Chief of Police | |
Deputy Chief | |
Inspector | |
Captain | |
Lieutenant | |
Sergeant | |
Detective (Gold Badge/insignias) | |
Special Agent (Gold Badge/insignias) | |
Criminal Investigator | |
Police Officer | |
In 2016, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into the then-Amtrak Police Chief Polly Hanson, regarding a conflict of interest involving her boyfriend who had been awarded a counterterrorism contract she helped oversee, and in whose award Hanson reportedly had influence. In statements, Hanson claimed no knowledge of the boyfriend, but an investigation revealed that they had been cohabiting in a condominium that they jointly owned. In September 2016, after the presidency of Amtrak had passed from Joseph Boardman (who had appointed Hanson in 2012) to Wick Moorman, Chief Hanson resigned.[ citation needed ]
On February 8, 2017, Amtrak Police Officer LaRoyce Tankson shot and killed an unarmed man, Chad Robertson, who had been spotted smoking marijuana outside Chicago Union Station and was running from police. [11] The bullet was fired from a distance between 75 and 100 feet and struck Robertson in the shoulder from behind. [12] Tankson's attorney, Will Fahy, claimed Tankson saw Robertson turn and reach for what Tankson thought was a firearm and thus believed he was about to be shot. [12] However, four eyewitnesses stated they did not see Robertson gesture having a gun. [12] Tankson was charged with first degree murder and released from custody after posting ten percent of the $250,000 bail. [12] On March 8, 2017, Amtrak's Fraternal Order of Police lodge claimed having collected more than $4,000 to help Tankson, contending that he fired in self-defense. [13] On February 28, 2020, Officer Tankson was acquitted. [14]
Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 stations on 11 rail lines. It is the fourth busiest commuter rail system in the United States by ridership and the largest and busiest commuter rail system outside the New York City metropolitan area. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 31,894,900, or about 168,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. The estimated busiest day for Metra ridership occurred on November 4, 2016—the day of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series victory rally, with a record 460,000+ passengers.
Railroad police or railway police are people responsible for the protection of railroad properties, facilities, revenue, equipment, and personnel, as well as carried passengers and cargo. Railroad police may also patrol public rail transit systems.
Transit police are specialized police agencies employed either by a common carrier, such as a transit district, railway, railroad, bus line, or another mass transit provider or municipality, county, district, or state.
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers serves as an interagency law enforcement training body for 105 United States government federal law enforcement agencies. The stated mission of FLETC is to "...train those who protect our homeland". Through the Rural Policing Institute (RPI) and the Office of State and Local Training, it provides tuition-free and low-cost training to state, local, campus and tribal law enforcement agencies.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD) is a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York state. MTA police officers are fully empowered under the New York State Public Authorities Law and are commissioned in the state of Connecticut. Their geographic area of employment extends to all counties in New York served by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, giving officers the ability to exercise full police authority within the counties of Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and in New York City.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is the state patrol agency for the U.S. state of Washington. Organized as the Washington State Highway Patrol in 1921, it was renamed and reconstituted in 1933. The agency is charged with the protection of the Governor of Washington and the grounds of the Washington State Capitol; security aboard the vessels and terminals of the Washington State Ferries; law enforcement on interstate and state highways in Washington; and providing specialized support to local law enforcement including laboratory forensic services, mobile field forces during periods of civil unrest or disaster, and tactical teams. The State Fire Marshal's Office, responsible for operation of the Washington State Fire Training Academy and for certain aspects of civil defense mobilization, is a component office of the Washington State Patrol, and the State Patrol is the managing agency of the Washington Fusion Center, which coordinates anti-terrorist and anti-organized crime activities within Washington.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, or Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), is a law enforcement agency in New York and New Jersey, the duties of which are to protect and to enforce state and city laws at all the facilities, owned or operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the bi-state agency running airports, seaports, and many bridges and tunnels within the Port of New York and New Jersey. Additionally, the PAPD is responsible for other PANYNJ properties including three bus terminals, the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, and the PATH train system. The PAPD is the largest transit-related police force in the United States.
Austin Police Department (APD) is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas. As of fiscal year 2022, the agency had an annual budget of $443.1 million and employed around 2,484 personnel, including approximately 1,809 officers. The department also employs 24 K-9 police dogs and 16 horses. As of 2023, Robin Henderson is the current interim chief of police.
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is a law enforcement agency in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
The New Jersey Transit Police Department (NJTPD) is a transit police agency of the New Jersey Transit Corporation in the state of New Jersey. As provided by NJS Title 27:25-15.1, New Jersey Transit Police Officers have "general authority, without limitation, to exercise police powers and duties, as provided by law for police officers and law enforcement officers, in all criminal and traffic matters at all times throughout the State and, in addition, to enforce such rules and regulations as the NJ Transit Corporation shall adopt and deem appropriate."
Airport police units are a security police agency assigned to perform law enforcement functions at airports. They provide a wide range of law enforcement duties and responsibilities including patrol, investigation, traffic flow management, and control and response to airport emergencies. Airport police provide enhanced safety to airport employees, and to passengers. Officers can be found at security gates, throughout the terminal area, and around the airport’s perimeter.
The Pentagon Police Division (PPD) is the uniformed division of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA).
The Anchorage Police Department (APD) is the police department of the Municipality of Anchorage in Alaska. Functioning as a service area of the Municipality, its patrol area includes the core "Anchorage bowl", the Seward Highway corridor from Potter Creek south to McHugh Creek, and the Glenn Highway corridor north of the Anchorage bowl to the municipality's border with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, including the communities of Eagle River, Chugiak and Eklutna. Through a memorandum of understanding, APD also handles calls on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson which involve civilian suspects or victims. Serving Alaska's largest city, APD is also the only metropolitan agency and the largest municipal police force in Alaska.
The Laurel Police Department (LPD) is a nationally accredited, full-service police department servicing a population of 21,945 persons within 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2) of the municipality of Laurel in the U.S. state of Maryland in Prince Georges County. The LPD also maintains its own emergency communications (dispatch) and temporary prisoner detention facility.
The federal government of the United States empowers a wide range of federal law enforcement agencies to maintain law and public order related to matters affecting the country as a whole.
Akron Police Department is the primary municipal law enforcement agency for the city of Akron, Ohio, United States with 451 employees. The current Police Chief is Brian Harding.
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) is the primary law enforcement agency servicing 155,810 people within 15.4 square miles (40 km2) of jurisdiction within Alexandria, Virginia. The APD has been internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 1986. The APD has 323 sworn officers and 152 civilian employees. New officers are trained at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.
The Metra Police Department was created to protect the eleven rail lines and 242 stations in metropolitan Chicago's commuter rail system, Metra. The primary function of the Metra Police Department is to protect Metra passengers, employees, assets, enforce criminal laws, traffic laws and ordinances that directly or indirectly relate to the Metra system. Metra police officers are fully sworn officers just like the officers of any municipal police department, responsible for the safety and security of the Metra system in a six-county service area – Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Lake counties.
A Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response team, sometimes Visible Intermodal Protection and Response (VIPR) is a Transportation Security Administration program. Various government sources have differing descriptions of VIPR's exact mission. It is specifically authorized by
which says that the program is to "augment the security of any mode of transportation at any location within the United States". Authority for the program is under the Secretary of Homeland Security. The program falls under TSA's Office of Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service. TSA OLE/FAMS shares responsibility for the program with the Office of Security Operations and Transportation Sector Network Management.The VIA Rail Canada Police Service (VRCPS) is the federal railway police service of the Canadian intercity passenger rail operator, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)