Editing Transit police (section)

==Type==
===Autonomous agencies===
[[File:British Transport Police vehicles.jpg|thumb|In [[Great Britain]], [[British Transport Police]] have full police powers and are a stand-alone special police force.]]
A transit police force may consist of officers employed directly by a transit system or by a government agency dedicated to providing specialized law enforcement services.  There are numerous instances of both within [[United States]], given the decentralized nature of US law enforcement; examples of larger, stand-alone agencies within the US include the [[MBTA Police]], [[Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department|BART Police]], and the [[New Jersey Transit Police Department]]. In the [[United Kingdom]], transit law enforcement is provided by a single, nation-wide agency, the [[British Transport Police]], although other law enforcement agencies may assist with this task. Within [[India]], many transit policing services are conducted by the [[Government Railway Police]].

===Specialized units of local law enforcement agencies===
[[File:Sound Transit Police.jpg|thumb|A patrol vehicle of the [[Sound Transit|Metro Transit]] police, a division of the [[King County Sheriff's Office]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/transit-police|title=Transit Police|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2023|website=kingcounty.gov|publisher=[[King County, Washington|King County]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]|access-date=}}</ref> [[Washington (state)|Washington state]], USA.|120px]]
Other forces may exist as a specialized unit of a local law enforcement agency, such as the United States' Transit Police Services Bureau of the [[Orange County, California]] Sheriff's Department (which serves the [[Orange County Transportation Authority]]) or the Transit Enforcement Unit of the [[Phoenix Police Department]] (assigned to the [[Public transport in Phoenix|Phoenix Public Transit Department]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.phoenix.gov/publictransit/police-transit-enforcement-unit|title=Phoenix Police Transit Unit|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2014|website=phoenix.gov|publisher=[[City of Phoenix]]|access-date=}}</ref> Some formerly independent transit police agencies have also been absorbed into (or had their duties assumed by) a larger, local law enforcement agency; Examples include the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|LACMTA]] Police's duties being assumed by the [[LAPD]] Transit Services Division<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lapdonline.org/transit_services_bureau/content_basic_view/67166|title=Transit Services Division|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2021|website=lapdonline.org|publisher=[[Los Angeles Police Department]]|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420135341/https://www.lapdonline.org/transit_services_bureau/content_basic_view/67166|archive-date=20 April 2021}}</ref> and the [[New York City Transit Police]] being integrated into the [[Organization of the New York City Police Department#Transit Bureau|NYPD Transit Bureau]].

===Railroad police===
[[File:Patch of the Metro Transit Police Department.png|thumb|[[Metro Transit Police Department]] officers, who hold police powers in [[Washington, D.C.]] and two U.S. states, [[Maryland]] and [[Virginia]]]]
Where the term "transit police" is used for a law enforcement agency or unit working for a railroad/railway, it usually refers to a railroad providing urban [[mass transit]] (such as a city-elevated system or [[rapid transit|subway]]) as opposed to long-distance rail carriage.

Law enforcement agencies of both cargo railroads and long-haul rail carriers are usually referred to as "[[railroad police]]" or "railway police". There is often considerable overlap in transit police and railroad police agencies’ duties. Railroad police agencies, however, have a long history, and were established separate from and prior to most modern transit police agencies. Transit police and railroad police powers may also be legally defined separately; For example, in the United States, many states have separate laws concerning both types of agencies.

However, in modern times, with increasing overlap in duties and the proliferation of extensive mass transit systems, some jurisdictions have opted for a hybrid model of railroad and transit policing. For instance, in the [[United Kingdom]], most of the rail systems, including the [[London Underground]], are policed by the [[British Transport Police]] (BTP). The BTP is a full-service, national law enforcement agency, which essentially combined the duties of dozens of now-defunct transit and railway police agencies into a single entity (the BTP has no authority in [[Northern Ireland]], except in emergencies).

===Powers===
Some transit police forces have full policing powers, such as the US' [[Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department|BART Police]], [[SEPTA]]'s Transit Police, [[Metro Transit Police Department]], [[Utah Transit Authority Police Department]] or the [[MBTA Police]]. The UK's [[British Transport Police]], also has full police powers within [[Great Britain]]. In some areas, transit police agencies have limited or specific powers, and may be classed as [[special police]] or [[special constable]]s, or peace officers with limited powers, such as [[Canada]]'s [[Edmonton]] Transit Peace Officers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.edmonton.ca/ets/transit-peace-officer-fulltime|title=Transit Peace Officer Full-time|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2021|website=edmonton.ca|publisher=[[City of Edmonton]]|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817113735/https://www.edmonton.ca/ets/transit-peace-officer-fulltime|archive-date=17 August 2021}}</ref> Regardless, transit police services nearly always hold more authority than un-sworn, security guard-only services.

===Crimes===
[[File:Do Not Trespass on the Railway sign - 20071209.jpg|thumb|A "Do Not Trespass" sign on the railway in the [[United Kingdom]]]]
Some of the crimes transit police and railroad police investigate include [[trespass]]ing on the [[right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] of a railroad, [[assault]]s against passengers, tagging of [[graffiti]] on railroad [[rolling stock]] and [[bus]]es or [[bus stop]]s, [[pickpocketing]], ticket [[fraud]], [[robbery]] and theft of personal belongings, [[baggage]] or [[freight]], and [[Illegal drug trade|drug dealing]] at transit stations. They may also engage in random ticket checking hoping to catch and fine ticketless travelers. These controls are usually more frequent in transit systems using an [[Proof-of-payment|honor-based fare collecting approach]].