What are some of the challenges law enforcement faces?
Do people actually listen to warnings?
What may police see along railroads?
Crime never takes a day off. Any crime that you can think of in a city or town, has taken place on a railroad. There are robberies, murders, suicides and rapes. Railroads have their own police force because the local police do not have jurisdiction on the property. This is a tough task to ensure safety on an entire railroad system. It's become even more important in the post 9/11 world to make sure acts of terrorism do not disrupt operations vital to this country.
In some cases with the major railroads like Union Pacific or BNSF, the area to be patrolled can literally cover thousands of miles across time zones. Sometimes, this means coverage of the property is in both the US and Canada, as with the Canadian Pacific Railway.
What results is a unified law enforcement that covers the entire railroad. This is the reason for the Railroad Police. Each railroad is responsible for maintaining safety and security on their property systemwide.
Like their municipal counterparts, Railroad Police deserve respect. A couple of nasty train hoppers in a video referred to them as "bulls." One kid who was busted told the police officer "they couldn't do anything" and was a "mall cop." They have seen. Like city and local police, Railroad Police face the possibility of being killed in the line of duty while apprehending armed and very dangerous suspects. There is a truth to what they can do and understanding that is important. Never underestimate their authority.
They are REAL police and they do have the power to arrest YOU. They are armed and trained as any other law enforcement agency and ensure the public safety on the railroad property. Railroad police also have their own jails separate from the county jails. You will be going there to be with murderers, rapists and robbers if you break the law on railroad property.
This needs to be mentioned again because it is so important. Local police will help the railroad enforce the rules, but do not have jurisdiction over any part of the property. This means you may be in a town, but as soon as you cross onto railroad property, you are in another jurisdiction and go back to the town's jurisdiction on the other side of the railroad property. This is true of a single, multiple track railroad rights of way and any other property like train stations or railroad shops.
Rail Jail is a sting operation concept that Union Pacific employed to stop the theft of merchandise from train cars in Memphis, TN. You have a truck trailer outfitted with cameras to document the approach of burglars. It is like the sting operations where suspects are arrested.
The suspects go inside the trailer and the police in hiding come out to arrest the suspect. Keep in mind the laws they are breaking. Getting charged with theft is only a part of it. They also face trespass charges.
The hardest duty has to be the knock on your parents' front door telling them you were killed by a train. This is a job nobody in law enforcement wants to do and it is not easy for them telling your parents that you are dead.
This video does touch on this because being a police officer means you see a lot more than the public realizes. Again, they do not know you, but know what happens. Your choices to beat a train or to be on the tracks is entirely up to you. Think about it.