Amtrak Police
Encyclopedia
The Amtrak Police is a railroad police
agency that acts as the security and law enforcement agency of Amtrak
, a passenger train system in the United States
. The Amtrak Police has 450 sworn police officers, most of whom are stationed within the Northeast Corridor
, Amtrak's busiest route.
This agency is responsible for the security of stations, trains, right-of-way, and maintenance facilities.
Amtrak Police officers are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
.
(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.
Railroad police
Railroad police are different from one country to another. Their roles in some countries are not different from that of any other police agency in others they are more related to a type of security police. They are all commonly responsible for the protection of railroad vast networks of...
agency that acts as the security and law enforcement agency of Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, a passenger train system in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Amtrak Police has 450 sworn police officers, most of whom are stationed within the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
, Amtrak's busiest route.
This agency is responsible for the security of stations, trains, right-of-way, and maintenance facilities.
Amtrak Police officers are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for 90 United States government federal law enforcement agencies.-Location:...
.
Authority
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 railroad police. 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.
Policies
After the September 11 attacks, Amtrak Police have been banning photography at stations and of trains. Amtrak's Photography Policy states that "In emergency and/or special circumstances (for example, declared elevation of Homeland Security Advisory System to High or Severe - orange and red) and where actions are deemed suspicious or inconsistent with this policy by observing/reporting persons, photographers and videographers may be approached and questioned to determine if further investigation or action is necessary". However, the Amtrak Police have stopped anyone taking pictures or video at stations regardless of the terror threat, resulting in the Amtrak CEO creating a new policy.Rank structure and insignia
| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Chief of Police |  |
| Assistant Chief |  |
| Deputy Chief |  |
| Inspector |  |
| Captain | |
| Lieutenant |  |
| Sergeant/Detective | |
| Criminal Investigator/Special Agent | |
| Police Officer | |
See also
- List of United States federal law enforcement agencies
- New Jersey Transit Police DepartmentNew Jersey Transit Police DepartmentThe New Jersey Transit Police Department is a transit police force for the New Jersey Transit Corporation in the state of New Jersey...