PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Under rules made by the Secretary of Transportation, a railroad police officer who works for or is hired by a railroad and who is certified as a police officer by a State can enforce the laws where the railroad owns property. They have the same authority as local police there. Their job is to protect people, the railroad’s property and equipment, freight the railroad is carrying in interstate or foreign trade, and rail resources needed for national defense. A railroad police officer can be temporarily sent to help another railroad at that railroad’s request and then acts as that railroad’s employee or agent with the same law-enforcement powers. If the officer moves their main job or home to a new State, they must apply for that State’s police certification within 1 year. During that year they may enforce the new State’s laws as described above. A State may accept a training program from another State’s police academy or the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center as meeting its basic training, but this does not replace any State rules on criminal law, criminal procedure, motor vehicle law, other State laws, or required comparative or annual in-service training.

Title 49, §28101

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(a)In General.—

Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation, a rail police officer who is directly employed by or contracted by a rail carrier and certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of a State may enforce the laws of any jurisdiction in which the rail carrier owns property, to the extent of the authority of a police officer certified or commissioned under the laws of that jurisdiction, to protect—

(1)employees, passengers, or patrons of the rail carrier;

(2)property, equipment, and facilities owned, leased, operated, or maintained by the rail carrier;

(3)property moving in interstate or foreign commerce in the possession of the rail carrier; and

(4)personnel, equipment, and material moving by rail that are vital to the national defense.

(b)Assignment.—

A railroad police officer directly employed by or contracted by a railroad carrier and certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of a State may be temporarily assigned to assist a second railroad carrier in carrying out law enforcement duties upon the request of the second railroad carrier, at which time the police officer shall be considered to be an employee or agent, as applicable, of the second railroad carrier and shall have authority to enforce the laws of any jurisdiction in which the second railroad carrier owns property to the same extent as provided in subsection (a).

(c)Transfers.—

(1)In general.—

If a railroad police officer directly employed by or contracted by a rail carrier and certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of a State transfers primary employment or residence from the certifying or commissioning State to another State or jurisdiction, the railroad police officer, not later than 1 year after the date of transfer, shall apply to be certified or commissioned as a police office under the laws of the State of new primary employment or residence.

(2)Interim period.—

During the period beginning on the date of transfer and ending 1 year after the date of transfer, a railroad police officer directly employed by or contracted by a rail carrier and certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of a State may enforce the laws of the new jurisdiction in which the railroad police officer resides, to the same extent as provided in subsection (a).

(d)Training.—

(1)In general.—

A State may recognize as meeting that State’s basic police officer certification or commissioning requirements for qualification as a rail police officer under this section any individual who successfully completes a program at a State-recognized police training academy in another State or at a Federal law enforcement training center and who is certified or commissioned as a police officer by that other State.

(2)Rule of construction.—

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as superseding or affecting any State training requirements related to criminal law, criminal procedure, motor vehicle code, any other State law, or State-mandated comparative or annual in-service training academy or Federal law enforcement training center.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 2610145:446.Nov. 29, 1990, Pub. L. 101–647, § 1704, 104 Stat. 4846. The words “to the extent of the authority of a police officer certified or commissioned under the laws of that jurisdiction” are placed before clause (1) rather than at the end of clause (4), as in the source provision, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–94, § 11412(a)(1), substituted “directly employed by or contracted by” for “employed by” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–94, § 11412(a)(1), (2), substituted “directly employed by or contracted by” for “employed by” and inserted “or agent, as applicable,” after “an employee”. Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 114–94, § 11412(a)(3), added subsecs. (c) and (d). 2007—Pub. L. 110–53 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, and added subsec. (b). 1994—Pub. L. 103–440 renumbered section 26101 of this title as this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–94 effective Oct. 1, 2015, see section 1003 of Pub. L. 114–94, set out as a note under section 5313 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Regulations

Pub. L. 114–94, div. A, title XI, § 11412(b), Dec. 4, 2015, 129 Stat. 1688, provided that: “Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 4, 2015], the Secretary [of Transportation] shall revise the

Regulations

in part 207 of title 49, Code of Federal

Regulations

(relating to railroad police officers), to permit a railroad to designate an individual, who is commissioned in the individual’s State of legal residence or State of primary employment and directly employed by or contracted by a railroad to enforce State laws for the protection of railroad property, personnel, passengers, and cargo, to serve in the States in which the railroad owns property.”

§28101 Rail Police Officers

Summary

Title 49, §28101

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Regulations

Regulations

Regulations

Citations & Metadata