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Does anyone know the frequencies that the special agents for the RR use?
Thanks,
Be Safe.
Thanks,
Be Safe.
Special Agents frequencies
- Thread starter MississippiPI
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What are RR special agents?
ecps92
Member
w2smw
Member
Special agent=railroad police-security
They commissioned law enforcement officers. Not really security.
vascanner
Member
Most special agents will monitor the main railroad channel for the area they are working in. For agent to agent communication, most of this will be done by cell phone. Some agents may use a frequency designated for railroad police but anybody can listen in, so I would guess secure/tactical information would be handled by cell phone.
CSX uses basically nothing but cell phones anymore, sans communication with T&E or C&A. NS still uses radios about 50% of the time to communicate with HQ in Atlanta. The other 50% is Nextel. You can find their frequencies in the database by state. Most transit police use exclusively radio.
Special agent is just a fancy title back to the Pinkerton days. Railroad Special Agents are sworn police officers, trained no different than any other, except with additional training in basic FRA rules, FRA property law, and a load of extra safety courses. They have full authority in every state that particular railroad operates through. In some states, NJ and VA included, they even have the authority to conduct traffic stops. Alas, few ever waste their time with playing trooper.
(Edit: C&A = Clerical & Administration...Yardmasters, Trainmasters, Car Clerks, etc.)
Special agent is just a fancy title back to the Pinkerton days. Railroad Special Agents are sworn police officers, trained no different than any other, except with additional training in basic FRA rules, FRA property law, and a load of extra safety courses. They have full authority in every state that particular railroad operates through. In some states, NJ and VA included, they even have the authority to conduct traffic stops. Alas, few ever waste their time with playing trooper.
(Edit: C&A = Clerical & Administration...Yardmasters, Trainmasters, Car Clerks, etc.)
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Fun fact: The use of "Special Agent" by the FBI was copied from Union Pacific.
To my knowledge, railroads are the only non-governmental entity that has sworn police officers... and I know the special agents around here are well equipped with tactical gear and weapons, not to mention tactics and just plain strong. Not guys that I would want to mess with.
I watched a local cop "accidentally" spit on a railroad cop while screaming at him... the local guys head was introduced to the hood of the special agents truck just before he was forcefully detained.
To my knowledge, railroads are the only non-governmental entity that has sworn police officers... and I know the special agents around here are well equipped with tactical gear and weapons, not to mention tactics and just plain strong. Not guys that I would want to mess with.
I watched a local cop "accidentally" spit on a railroad cop while screaming at him... the local guys head was introduced to the hood of the special agents truck just before he was forcefully detained.
nd5y
Member
vascanner
Member
Private colleges and hospitals are 2 groups that I can think of who are allowed to have sworn police officers.....at least on the east coast....
Railroad Special Agents
I worked for BN and BNSF for 18 years as a special agent. The police officer powers go back to the old west where the railroad cop was literally the only law enforcement around, hence their being given police powers. Anyone remember Bat Masterson (aside from the 1950s TV show)? He was a Sante Fe Special Agent, as was James Pinkerton who started the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Shortly after I left the railroad, the Sante Fe issued a commemorative badge - "Sante Fe Police - 150 Years of Service". When I worked for the railroad police, I was aware of only two states that did not grant peace officer status to railroad special agents, Wyoming and Minnesota. I do not know if that has changed...
When I worked for the railroad, we used phone patches on the railroad radios (PBX), the 161.205 MHz channel to talk to each other and other railroads, and before I left, cell phones were increasingly being used to talk to one another. We also used the local road channels to talk directly to trains and the dispatchers.
I worked for BN and BNSF for 18 years as a special agent. The police officer powers go back to the old west where the railroad cop was literally the only law enforcement around, hence their being given police powers. Anyone remember Bat Masterson (aside from the 1950s TV show)? He was a Sante Fe Special Agent, as was James Pinkerton who started the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Shortly after I left the railroad, the Sante Fe issued a commemorative badge - "Sante Fe Police - 150 Years of Service". When I worked for the railroad police, I was aware of only two states that did not grant peace officer status to railroad special agents, Wyoming and Minnesota. I do not know if that has changed...
When I worked for the railroad, we used phone patches on the railroad radios (PBX), the 161.205 MHz channel to talk to each other and other railroads, and before I left, cell phones were increasingly being used to talk to one another. We also used the local road channels to talk directly to trains and the dispatchers.
Then you get into mass-transit and it gets messy...
New Jersey is a lot of fun cause of the NJTransit Police. See...NJTransit is a quasi-public corporation. It's funded partly by tax-dollars and answers to the state budget office, but is not part of the state DOT, and is not directly governed by the legislature. Complicated huh? Gets better...
NJTPD is responsible for enforcement and protection of NJTransit policies and properties, buuuuuuut by oath and authority basically State Troopers that are in no way associated with the state police, nor county or municipal agency. They are a sworn public department, serving a corporate entity. And they are all out. NJTPD has their own FBI trained dedicated counter-terrorism/surveillance unit, SWAT team, detective bureau, haz-mat squad, etc. They actively search while patrolling NJT property, and while on the road between locations for LoJack hits, flagged vehicle registrations, wanted persons, narcotics, weapons, etc. They also have jurisdiction in the Pennsylvania cities of Morrisville and Philadelphia despite being a New Jersey agency, and are the only non State Police agency allowed to perform traffic stops on the NJ Turnpike Authority highways (NJTP & GSP).
Crazy huh?
New Jersey is a lot of fun cause of the NJTransit Police. See...NJTransit is a quasi-public corporation. It's funded partly by tax-dollars and answers to the state budget office, but is not part of the state DOT, and is not directly governed by the legislature. Complicated huh? Gets better...
NJTPD is responsible for enforcement and protection of NJTransit policies and properties, buuuuuuut by oath and authority basically State Troopers that are in no way associated with the state police, nor county or municipal agency. They are a sworn public department, serving a corporate entity. And they are all out. NJTPD has their own FBI trained dedicated counter-terrorism/surveillance unit, SWAT team, detective bureau, haz-mat squad, etc. They actively search while patrolling NJT property, and while on the road between locations for LoJack hits, flagged vehicle registrations, wanted persons, narcotics, weapons, etc. They also have jurisdiction in the Pennsylvania cities of Morrisville and Philadelphia despite being a New Jersey agency, and are the only non State Police agency allowed to perform traffic stops on the NJ Turnpike Authority highways (NJTP & GSP).
Crazy huh?
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