Something something PSR something

[Lenny53]

"Union Pacific laid off an unspecified number of employees across the railroad system. Including members of its railroad-only police force. Despite record profits in the billions in the last quarter of 2021."

https://www.lataco.com/union-pacific-theft-police-laid-off/

[Hawghead]

The UP has been laying of railroad cops for years.  We used to have enough special agents in the Portland area that they had their own offices spaces in the superintendent's building.  Now there is one or two that cover Washington and Oregon.  Most everything is handled by local law enforcement these days and guess what?  Local law enforcement doesn't care about the railroad's problems, they have enough of their own plate.

Scott

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The UP has been laying of railroad cops for years.  We used to have enough special agents in the Portland area that they had their own offices spaces in the superintendent's building.  Now there is one or two that cover Washington and Oregon.  Most everything is handled by local law enforcement these days and guess what?  Local law enforcement doesn't care about the railroad's problems, they have enough of their own plate.

Scott

And then everyone is confused about this: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/us/la-train-tracks-cargo-thieves.html

[Hawghead]

And then everyone is confused about this: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/us/la-train-tracks-cargo-thieves.html

Sorry can't read the article without a subscription.

Scott

[Philip H]

@Hawghead - its more coverage of the 2021 UP container raids in LA

[Hawghead]

Ahh, I'm guessing then that Ed was just saying why is anyone surprised these things are happening in LA and other places.

Scott

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ahh, I'm guessing then that Ed was just saying why is anyone surprised these things are happening in LA and other places.

Scott

Yessir.

[CBQ Fan]

So when a railroad police officer arrest someone I assume they end up in the same court system as any other criminal arrested by other law enforcement agencies. If that is true and the local court system isn’t prosecuting the suspects arrested by railroad police, than there is no business reason to keep a separate police department. It is bad business to retain expenses outside of your core business if the do not add value.  In this case if getting arrested isn’t a deterrent than what is the point of having your own police department.

[nkalanaga]

Brian:  You're right, railroad police have the same powers as city police, on railroad property, of if called to assist another agency.  Like city police, their powers are generally limited to their jurisdiction, which is the railroad property, but an arrest by them is the same as one by any other cop.

[Hawghead]

So when a railroad police officer arrest someone I assume they end up in the same court system as any other criminal arrested by other law enforcement agencies. If that is true and the local court system isn’t prosecuting the suspects arrested by railroad police, than there is no business reason to keep a separate police department. It is bad business to retain expenses outside of your core business if the do not add value.  In this case if getting arrested isn’t a deterrent than what is the point of having your own police department.

Because they act as a deterrent for one, or used to.  Additionally, as I said before, local law enforcement usually couldn't care less about issues associated with the railroad, like people breaking into freight containers or people riding on cars, or vehicles stopped on tracks etc.

Scott