MdTA PD expanding jurisdiction?

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maus92

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I've been noticing that since the beginning of the year, MdTA PD units from the Lane Bridge Det have been "patrolling" US 50 between the Severn River Bridge and the Bay Bridge - or at least they have been "around" much more frequently than usual. Also, they have been seen on Bestgate Road / Rowe Blvd, maybe to turn around and head back east? And then this morning, a state trooper from the Centerville barracks was in my neighborhood just off Bestgate Road! He "followed" me out to eastbound US50. Did the Glen Burnie barracks give up some highway patrol duties east of Annapolis to these entities?
 

baydog

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I've seen them on traffic stops as far east as the 50/301 split in Queenstown.
I've also heard AAPD Eastern District units asking for them as backup for alarms in the Cape and at businesses along Rt. 50.
 

pratzert

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That's an interesting question.

I don't know if there is a "Range" of Authority for the Transportation Police or not ?

I had always just assumed that they had authority and patrolled near any Toll facilities (Tunnels & Bridges) and were more or less limited to a distance in which they had authority.

But they may have authority anywhere in Maryland for all I know.

Maybe someone "in-the-know" can answer the question.
 

maus92

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The MdTA PD have police powers anywhere in the state. The MdTA some time ago absorbed responsibility for I-95 within the Baltimore City limits, relieving the the city and state of responsibility to patrol and maintain that portion of the highway. I'm thinking that MdTA has also gained jurisdiction of the toll lanes of I-95 north of the Baltimore Beltway as well. Anyway, I guess my question is have they done the same for US50 between the Severn River Bridge and the Lane Bridge on the western shore - officially. I'm looking for a source if anyone has seen anything....
 

riveter

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MdTA OWNS the JFK Highway from the south side of the Beltway up to Delaware, and has primary responsibility for police and roadway service there. MSP M patrols the north-of-Beltway part of that highway under agreement with MdTA, but you'll notice all the orange Highways trucks out there are MdTA, not SHA. MdTA only actually owns a small amount of bridge approach either side of the Bay Bridge... but as you said, they have statewide jurisdiction. Basically, as long as they're around and available to cover police service for the Bridge, there's no hard limit to their range. I see L detachment units out to 50/301 sometimes as well as all the way over to Bestgate and I97, all through the last 5 years I've been down here. They don't have primary responsibility over a lot of where they go, but they go as far as they're comfortable, and it helps take some load off MSP P and S when they're busy and there's a lot of highways calls. I've seen the same on the Beltway too- totally MSP R's primary responsibility, but I've seen MdTA TC units doing stops as far up as Towson. All depends on what manpower they have and can spare, how heavy their calls are, and how stretched neighboring agencies might be.
 

maus92

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The MdTA does certainly have concurrent jurisdiction on US50, but again I'm wondering if there has been some sort of official agreement to expand their primary patrol area, particularly on the Western Shore, due to the increased activity that I've been seeing since the new year. It could very well be coincidental - I'm just looking for anything official before I invest the time digging into COMARs. Thanks though.
 

gesucks

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MDTAP is established in Section 4-208 of the Maryland Transportation Code and is responsible for
police officer duties on or within 500 feet of property that is owned, leased, operated by or under the
control of the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), and the
Maryland Port Administration (MPA). The Maryland Transportation Authority Police were created as a
result of legislation from 1994. (Chapter 577, Acts of 1994)

Absent an emergency situation,
a MDTAP Officer may exercise law enforcement jurisdiction in the political subdivisions listed below
within the boundaries and scope of each individual agreement, and in accordance with §4-208 of the
Transportation Article.
• Anne Arundel County
• City of Baltimore
• Baltimore County
• Cecil County
• Charles County
• Harford County
• City of Havre de Grace
• Howard County
• Montgomery County
• Perryville
• Prince Georges County
• Queen Anne’s County
• U.S. Coast Guard
 
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marksmith

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That's an interesting question.

I don't know if there is a "Range" of Authority for the Transportation Police or not ?

I had always just assumed that they had authority and patrolled near any Toll facilities (Tunnels & Bridges) and were more or less limited to a distance in which they had authority.

But they may have authority anywhere in Maryland for all I know.

Maybe someone "in-the-know" can answer the question.

The Official Answer is ...
MDTAP is established in Section 4-208 of the Maryland Transportation Code and is responsible for
police officer duties on or within 500 feet of property that is owned, leased, operated by or under the
control of the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), and the
Maryland Port Administration (MPA). The Maryland Transportation Authority Police were created as a
result of legislation from 1994. (Chapter 577, Acts of 1994)

Having said that, MDTAP and MSP are the two closest state police entities in mission. They regularly patrol as far west as Route 2 from the Key Bridge detachment, and over to Cove Road going east. I think the Curtis Bay bridge may give them some authority west, or so I've always thought. Maybe the Severn Bridge does. On request if the MSP I guess they can operate anywhere. Maybe this is one of the theoretical benefits of FiRST, now that both MDTAP and Centreville are on the same system.
 

riveter

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On request if the MSP I guess they can operate anywhere.

Exactly what I wrote a paragraph to say is that no request is needed. MdTA has LOAs with local jurisdictions to provide primary police services, and the general gist of these LOAs is that they can go enforce state law as a primary agency pretty much anywhere in that list. So as long as they don't leave a manpower/service vacuum by straying too far from their post, they don't have much of a limit to how far they can stretch.
 
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troymail

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Early on with FiRST, I was real surprised at some of the places they were doing traffic stops..... Route 10 and Ft Smallwood Rd in Anne Arundel.

Yesterday, I heard a Bay Bridge unit call out that he was off doing warrant service in Centreville. I know they support QA Sheriff sometimes but I thought Centreville was quite a ways out there...and he didn't mention anything about assisting anyone.

We're paying them... Taxes, tolls, citations.... They may as well be working I suppose.
 

maus92

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I am looking for a loophole to get out of a speeding ticket if I was issued one far from a toll facility - not that I've gotten one yet :) - but it's just a matter of time. And the MdTA Police are quite aggressive when it comes to issuing speeding tickets...
 
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A lot of people don't realize that Maryland Transportation Authority owns/controls I-95 from the Baltimore Beltway (on westside) north to the DE State Line due to it being a toll road. What people dont realize is that because MDTAP has such a small force they couldn't handle the patrolling, so they leased LE responsibilities to MSP for a long time, until MDTAP builds up their force. Now with the MDFIRST System, it allows them a little more flexibility to roam out of their normal areas. Also if you look at the Highway trucks on I-95 North of Baltimore THEY DO NOT say SHA on them it says Maryland Transportation Authority.
 

riveter

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A lot of people don't realize that Maryland Transportation Authority owns/controls I-95 from the Baltimore Beltway (on westside) north to the DE State Line due to it being a toll road. What people dont realize is that because MDTAP has such a small force they couldn't handle the patrolling, so they leased LE responsibilities to MSP for a long time, until MDTAP builds up their force. Now with the MDFIRST System, it allows them a little more flexibility to roam out of their normal areas. Also if you look at the Highway trucks on I-95 North of Baltimore THEY DO NOT say SHA on them it says Maryland Transportation Authority.

Now that it's the second time, this is getting weird. I think my posts are invisible :(

MdTA OWNS the JFK Highway from the south side of the Beltway up to Delaware, and has primary responsibility for police and roadway service there. MSP M patrols the north-of-Beltway part of that highway under agreement with MdTA, but you'll notice all the orange Highways trucks out there are MdTA, not SHA.
 

MdListener

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With all due respect to some others who posted, the MdTA Police does not have statewide authority - at least not in the normal course of business. This entity was created to provide police enforcement and protection for specific roads, structures, and other property under control of the Transporation Authority, Port Administration, and Aviation Administration.

The following is taken from Md. TRANSPORTATION Code Ann. § 4-208 (2014)
(1) A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer may exercise the powers described in subsection (a)(2) of this section on property owned, leased, or operated by or under the control of the Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland Aviation Administration, and Maryland Port Administration.

Anyone can go to this section of law and read the whole thing. There are certain exceptions which would give MdTA Police authority in other areas for specific purposes and conditions, but this authority must be specifically granted by someone such as the Governor, Secretary of MSP, etc. One example of when such authority might be granted is immediately after a "9-11" type event (which I pray we never see again). Other exceptions relate to mutual aid agreements, but there are limitations. If interested, you can read a very good summary of this issue here: http://md-lgit.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1306

The bottom line is that the MdTA Police do not have statewide jurisdiction like the State Police do. However, only a fool would intentionally violate a traffic law in front of an MdTA officer outside of their perceived jurisdiction, because you have no way of knowing exactly where the boundary is or what other circumstances might give them authority at the time.
 
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maus92

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With all due respect to some others who posted, the MdTA Police does not have statewide authority - at least not in the normal course of business. This entity was created to provide police enforcement and protection for specific roads, structures, and other property under control of the Transporation Authority, Port Administration, and Aviation Administration.

The following is taken from Md. TRANSPORTATION Code Ann. § 4-208 (2014)
(1) A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer may exercise the powers described in subsection (a)(2) of this section on property owned, leased, or operated by or under the control of the Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland Aviation Administration, and Maryland Port Administration.

Anyone can go to this section of law and read the whole thing. There are certain exceptions which would give MdTA Police authority in other areas for specific purposes and conditions, but this authority must be specifically granted by someone such as the Governor, Secretary of MSP, etc. One example of when such authority might be granted is immediately after a "9-11" type event (which I pray we never see again). Other exceptions relate to mutual aid agreements, but there are limitations. If interested, you can read a very good summary of this issue here: http://md-lgit.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1306

The bottom line is that the MdTA Police do not have statewide jurisdiction like the State Police do. However, only a fool would intentionally violate a traffic law in front of an MdTA officer outside of their perceived jurisdiction, because you have no way of knowing exactly where the boundary is or what other circumstances might give them authority at the time.

This is my understanding of the law. Their technical jurisdiction is within 500' of their property, however, they can assist other jurisdictions if requested for specific incidents. For example, last night, QA County Sheriff's Office requested assistance for a call in Grasonsville (the MdTA officer had a hard time finding the address....) The reason for my original question is that I've noticed the MdTA Police patrolling a much wider area than that 500' boundary, specifically west towards the Severn River Bridge. And I've also noticed them sitting on the shoulder (presumably running laser/radar speed traps) way too far from that 500' boundary (unless that that section of the roadway / boundary / property ownership has been expanded / transferred to MdTA.) This is what I think is unauthorized, and would invalidate any citations written stemming from this particular enforcement technique. That said, if the MdTA officer was simply driving along US50 outside of their technical jurisdiction - turning around perhaps, or going to the renovated Wawa on Bestgate Road :) - and someone is observed speeding along and/or driving crazy, the officer can enforce any violation he witnesses.
 
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gesucks

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AS STATED IN MY OTHER POST-

Absent an emergency situation,
a MDTAP Officer MAY exercise law enforcement jurisdiction in the political subdivisions listed below
within the boundaries and scope of each individual agreement, and in accordance with §4-208 of the
Transportation Article.
• Anne Arundel County
• City of Baltimore
• Baltimore County
• Cecil County
• Charles County
• Harford County
• City of Havre de Grace
• Howard County
• Montgomery County
• Perryville
• Prince Georges County
• Queen Anne’s County
• U.S. Coast Guard
 

MdListener

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GE, I'm not trying to argue with you, but would you share your source for the info you provided that MdTA Police routinely has law enforcement authority in those counties and towns? I'm trying to understand how they got full police authority 24/7 in those places. Thanks.
 

marksmith

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MDTAP is established in Section 4-208 of the Maryland Transportation Code and is responsible for
police officer duties on or within 500 feet of property that is owned, leased, operated by or under the
control of the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), and the
Maryland Port Administration (MPA). The Maryland Transportation Authority Police were created as a
result of legislation from 1994. (Chapter 577, Acts of 1994)

Absent an emergency situation,
a MDTAP Officer may exercise law enforcement jurisdiction in the political subdivisions listed below
within the boundaries and scope of each individual agreement, and in accordance with §4-208 of the
Transportation Article.
• Anne Arundel County
• City of Baltimore
• Baltimore County
• Cecil County
• Charles County
• Harford County
• City of Havre de Grace
• Howard County
• Montgomery County
• Perryville
• Prince Georges County
• Queen Anne’s County
• U.S. Coast Guard

First, we don't know the content of any of these individual agreements that are likely not the same in all cases (Coast Guard?). Beyond that, I would also submit that 4-208 also includes the following language about exercising authority outside that 500 yard boundary......:

(4) The police officer may not exercise these powers on any other property unless:

(i) Engaged in fresh pursuit of a suspected offender;

(ii) Specially requested or permitted to do so in a political subdivision by its chief executive officer or its chief police officer; or

(iii) Ordered to do so by the Governor.

I'm sure that to some degree these "agreements" provide some regular standing authority of some sort. I would also suggest that the agreements listed do not comprise "anywhere in the state".

By statute, I believe the DNR police remain the only state police entity authorized to carry out their powers "anywhere in the state". Here is a link to 4-208 § 4-208 - Maryland Transportation Authority Police Force :: 2013 Maryland Code :: US Codes and Statutes :: US Law :: Justia
 
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