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Police agencies with multi state jurisdiction are commonly referred to as bi-state police agencies. Bi-state police agencies operate in two or more states.
Officers of these agencies have full law enforcement powers and responsibilities in each state they operate in. This includes the power to arrest, enforce laws, conduct investigations, run traffic, write traffic citations, respond to emergencies, form mutual aid agreements, assist other agencies, testify in court, and more.
These departments have been formed through interstate compact commissions and state-local laws. The US Supreme Court held that states could delegate police power to interstate compact commissions. [1]
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department was the first bi-state police agency to be formed through an interstate compact commission [2]
Delmar Police Department of Delmar, Delaware and Delmar, Maryland is an example of bi-state authority coming from state and local laws. [3]
Railroad and federal law enforcement agencies share similarities of this attribute, as they operate in multiple states under federal and state law. [4] Federal officers accomplish this through the Assimilative Crimes Act and state laws, including cross deputization. [5] [6] [7]
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, or PAPD, is responsible for law enforcement at all of the facilities owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. [8]
PAPD was the first bi-state police agency to be formed in the United States on June 1, 1928 through an interstate compact and congressional consent. [9] [10] [11]
Officers are labeled "police officers" in both New York and New Jersey. Giving them full police powers in both states. [12] [13] Officers are trained for both states during the academy. [14]
The Delaware River Port Authority Police Department, or DRPAPD, has jurisdiction in Pennsylvania and New Jersey safeguarding DRPA/PATCO ports, bridges, and properties, as well as parts of the Delaware River. [15] [16] DRPA PD has an interstate compact, presidential consent, and congressional consent. [17]
Officers retain full powers throughout each state. Their patrol duties entail the same duties as New Jersey and Pennsylvania municipal officers. [18] [19]
Delaware River and Bay Authority Police Department, or DRBAPD, has jurisdiction in states of Delaware and New Jersey. They safeguard DRBA properties, airports in both New Jersey and Delaware, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and The Delaware River itself. DRBA has an interstate compact and congressional consent. [20] [21]
Officers are trained at the academy for both states and can work in either state. Officers carry full police powers in Delaware and New Jersey. [22] [23]
Metro Transit Police Department has jurisdiction in D.C, Maryland, and Virginia. They are WMATA's transit police agency. MTPD was established in 1976 with congressional consent. [24] [25]
These officers have full police authority in each jurisdiction they patrol, regardless of the crimes relevance to the transit authority. [26]
Metropolitan Transportion Authority Police Department is the official police department of MTA. The officers have police power in New York and Connecticut. [27] [28]
Delmar Police Department is the official police agency for the towns of Delmar, Delaware and Delmar, Maryland. [29]
Delmar's police station is located in Maryland. [30]
Delmar Police department was form in 1954 with the consolidation of Delmar, Delaware and Delmar, Maryland Police Departments. Arthur Lenwood Godfrey was the first Chief of Police For both Delaware and Maryland towns. [31]
Delmar Police Departments authority comes from state and local laws. [3]
Officers are sworn by the mayor of both Delmar, Delaware and Delmar, Maryland. [32]
Delmar police officers are considered "Peace Officers" and carry full law enforcement powers in both Delaware and Maryland. This includes off-duty arrest powers in both states. Their power of arrest is statewide, but limited to felonies, violence, and threats of violence when outside of Delmar, unless they are on property owned by Delmar that is outside of its city limits or pursuing offenders of violations committed within the city limits. [3]
The Chief and all officers must be sworn and certified by both Delaware and Maryland. [33]
Texhoma Police Department is the official police agency for the towns of Texhoma, Oklahoma and Texhoma, Texas. [34]
Ardmore Police department is the official police agency of Ardmore, Alabama and Ardmore, Tennessee. [35]
Their motto is "Serving two states and four counties." [36]
Union City Police Department is the official police agency of Union City, Indiana and Union City, Ohio. [37]
Colorado City/Hildale City Police Department, previously Colorado City Marshals, is the official police agency for Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale City, Utah. [38]
The police department was formed in 2013 by a type of mutual aid agreement called an intergovernmental cooperative agreement, or IGA. The agreement automatically renews annually, but either city is allowed to back out of the agreement at anytime with a six month notice. The authority for this agency comes from A.R.S 9-240 and 11-952 of Arizona, and 11-13201 and 11-13-202 of the Utah Code. [39]
The Waterfront Commission had primary jurisdiction at NJ and NY ports in the New York Harbor Area. [40]
In 2018, the New Jersey government asked to exit the Waterfront Commission Compact, and in 2023 was granted this ability by the US Supreme Court. With this, WCPD lost jurisdiction in New Jersey and was disbanded. [41]
Besides Amtrak, railroad police departments are state agencies with full law enforcement power and responsibilities in multiple states. [42] They share all the attributes of bi-state police, but there are some differences. Their power is granted by state and federal law, but they do not need an interstate compact to be formed. Depending on the state, railroad police officers may have as much power as any other officer in the state whether it relates to the railroad or not. [43] Federal law authorizes them to enforce the laws of any state where their company owns property regardless of state law. [44]
Some transit authority agencies, such as SEPTA Transit Police, may operate under this authority to ensure jurisdiction over the company's entire system. [45] "Railroad Railway" can be seen on the badge of each Septa police officer. [46] [47]
Federal law enforcement officers have the ability to enforce federal law anywhere in any state or territory under the jurisdiction of The United States government. They also have the ability to enforce state law, including traffic laws, in any state thanks to the Assimilative Crimes Act. [48] This is only allowed on or in the immediate area surrounding federal property including public roads, walkways, and even interstates that may pass through such as I-14 at Fort Cavazos.
In 2022, the Federeal Protective Service had 2105 total arrests, detentions, and citations which included state and municipal penal code violations. [49]
All crimes will be prosecuted in federal court when charged under the Assimilative Crimes Act. [50]
All federal LEO's have full or limited local authority in Washington DC. For example, United States Park Police has concurrent local jurisdiction with Metropolitan Police Department, often responding simultaneously. [51] USPP also holds primary jurisdiction of G.W Parkway in Virginia and sections of B.W Parkway in Maryland. Multiple federal agencies are given state law enforcement powers in Virginia thanks to § 19.2-12 in the Code of Virginia. [52]
Another common way that federal LEO's enforce state law is by becoming cross-deputized by states. This is common for preservation agencies such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service, but also includes agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, United States Postal Service, Federal Protective Service and more. [53] Officers are likely to be cross-deputized in multiple states when their post straddles multiple state boundaries, such as US Park Police on Ellis Island, US Park Police and Rangers stationed at locations such as the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, US Forest Service officers in national forests that are located in more than one state, and United States Bureau of Land Management officers.
These powers and responsibilities include responding to local emergencies, writing traffic tickets, arresting offenders, enforcing local law, investigating local crimes, and more. These powers vary by state. [54]
Officers that have been cross-deputized have discretion to choose where charges are filed. Crimes that violate both state and federal laws can be taken to either local or federal prosecutors. [55]
Mutual aid agreements offer agencies the ability to enforce the laws of another jurisdiction including interstate. This is usually done under certain circumstances, but some agencies may utilize them often, such as rural areas with small twin/border towns separated by state lines, usually due to tight budgets. [56] [57] Texarkana, Texas & Texarkana, Arkansas are good examples of this as they share a police department building, jail, and courthouse, but operate different police offices. [58] [59]
The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the state governments of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The authority is principally charged to maintain and develop transportation links between the two states with four bridges and a mass transit rail line across the Delaware River. Though the DRPA has "port" in its name, it does not own or operate any ports.
In the United States, an interstate compact is a pact or agreement between two or more states, or between states and any foreign sub-national government.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is a bi-state government agency of the U.S. states of Delaware and New Jersey established by an interstate compact in 1962.
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 Delaware Memorial Bridge is a dual-span suspension bridge crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 and is also the link between Delaware and New Jersey. The bridge was designed by the firm of Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff with consulting help from engineer Othmar Ammann, whose other designs include the George Washington Bridge and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Special police usually describes a police force or unit within a such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or from other personnel within the same agency, although there is no consistent international definition. Generally, special police personnel hold some level of police powers; sometimes they hold the same powers and authority of other law enforcement officers within their jurisdiction, but at a minimum they will typically possess detainment and arrest authority. 'Special police' is also occasionally used when referring to an 'elite' law enforcement agency or unit, such as special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units or other similar paramilitary forces who have some level of police power. 'Special police' may also be used to describe individuals who are granted police powers incidental to their primary duties, such as welfare fraud investigators, certain security guards, child welfare investigators, and agricultural inspectors. Special police personnel may be armed or unarmed.
State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction over the relevant sub-national jurisdiction, and may cooperate in law enforcement activities with municipal or national police where either exist.
Water police, also called bay constables, coastal police, harbor patrols, marine/maritime police/patrol, nautical patrols, port police, or river police are a specialty law enforcement portion of a larger police organization, who patrol in water craft. Their patrol areas may include coastal tidal waters, rivers, estuaries, harbors, lakes, canals or a combination of these.
The Delaware State Police (DSP) is a division of the Delaware Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security and is responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the US State of Delaware, especially in areas underserved by local police departments. The DSP is headquartered in the capital Dover, Delaware.
The Maryland State Police (MSP), officially the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP), is the official state police force of the U.S. state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesville CDP in unincorporated Baltimore County.
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.
As of 2024, more than 1,280,000 sworn law enforcement officers are serving in the United States. About 137,000 of those officers work for federal law enforcement agencies.
The Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) is the transit police agency of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), created by the WMATA Compact on June 4, 1976.
The Maryland Transportation Authority Police is the eighth-largest law enforcement agency in the U.S. state of Maryland and is charged with providing law enforcement services on Maryland Transportation Authority highways and facilities throughout the state, in addition to contractual services that are provided at Baltimore–Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and the Port of Baltimore.
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.
Sheriffs In the United States are the chief of law enforcement officers of a county. Sheriffs are usually either elected by the populace or appointed by an elected body.
Law enforcement in New York City is carried out by numerous federal, state, city and private agencies. New York City has the highest concentration of law enforcement in the United States.
In the United States, the state police is a police body unique to each U.S. state, having statewide authority to conduct law enforcement activities and criminal investigations. In general, state police officers or highway patrol officers, known as state troopers, perform functions that do not fall within the jurisdiction of a county’s sheriff, such as enforcing traffic laws on state highways and interstates, overseeing security of state capitol complexes, protecting governors, training new officers for local police forces too small to operate an academy and providing technological and scientific services. They also support local police and help to coordinate multi-jurisdictional task force activity in serious or complicated cases in states that grant full police powers statewide.