Transit police
January 28, 2008 08:01 PM (10 months ago) | Overall Score: 5.0 | Replies: 0

Can we add subject definitions to the issue database? such as the following from wikipedia would be a helpful reminder re: Issues that may be more arcane or unfamiliar to people Transit police also known as transport police or transit enforcement, is a specialized police agency or unit employed by a common carrier, which could be a railroad, bus line, other transport carrier, or the state. Their mandate is to prevent and investigate crimes committed against the carrier or by or against passengers or other customers of the carrier, or those committed on the carrier's property. A transit police force may consist of officers employed directly by a transit provider, such as the Amtrak Police, or it may exist as specialized unit of a police force, such as the Transit Police Services Bureau of the Orange County, California Sheriff's Department, which serves the Orange County Transportation Authority. Where the term "transit police" is used for the police working for a railroad, it usually refers to a railroad providing urban mass transit (such as a city elevated system or subway) as opposed to long-distance rail carriage. Police who work either for a private non-passenger railroad or long-haul rail carrier are usually referred to as "railroad police" or "railway police". In Britain, most of the rail system, including the London Underground, is policed by a national transport police agency, the British Transport Police. Some transit police have full policing powers, while in other areas, they have limited powers and are classed as special police or special constables with limited powers. Some of the crimes transit police and railroad police investigate include trespassing on the right-of-way of a railroad, assaults against passengers, tagging of graffiti on railroad rolling stock and buses or bus stops, pickpocketing, ticket fraud, robbery and theft of personal belongings, baggage or freight, and drug dealing at transit stations.