Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Police Department
Common nameBNSF Police Department
AbbreviationBNSFPD
Agency overview
Formed1996
Preceding agencies
  • Burlington Northern Railroad Police
  • Santa Fe Railway Police
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionUnited States
Legal jurisdictionBurlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
General nature
Specialist jurisdiction
  • Railways, tramways, and/or rail transit systems.
Operational structure
HeadquartersFort Worth, Texas
Agency executives
  • Will Johnson, Chief of Police
Website
Official Website

The BNSF Police Department or the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Police Department (BNSFPD) is a private railroad police department and the law enforcement agency of the BNSF Railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.[1] The BNSFPD is one of six American Class I railroad law enforcement agencies, alongside those of Amtrak, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific.

Jurisdiction

A BNSF Police Department vehicle off I-25 in Douglas County, Colorado

BNSF maintains a functioning police department staffed with officers given the title of Special Agent with jurisdiction over crimes against the railroad. Like most railroad police, its primary jurisdiction is unconventional, consisting of 34,000 miles of track in 28 western U.S. states. Railroad police are certified state law enforcement officers, authorized under federal law, to operate as such in any state that allows railroad police authority under state law.

BNSF Special Agents may have investigative and arrest powers both on and off railroad property if authorized by the state in which they are working. They carry interstate authority as provided by federal law, allowing railroad police to conduct law enforcement activities in other states the railroads operate in.

Special Agents typically investigate major incidents such as derailments, sabotage, grade crossing accidents and hazardous material accidents and minor issues such as trespassing on the railroad right of way, vandalism/graffiti, and theft of company property or customer product.[2]

Special Agents often coordinate and liaise with local, state, and federal law enforcement on issues concerning the railroad and are dispatched nationally through BNSF Headquarters in Fort Worth.

References

  1. "Recource Protection Brochure" (PDF). BNSF Railway.
  2. Abeyta, Michael (2020-08-15). "BNSF Railway Agent In Denver Gets Stabbed, Shoots And Kills Trespasser". CBS Denver. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
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