BNSF Police Department
Encyclopedia
The BNSF Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the BNSF Railway
. Its headquarters is situated in Fort Worth, Texas
.
, its primary jurisdiction is unconventional, consisting of 34,000 miles of track
in 25 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 (Title 49, USC, Section 28101.) This authority means that if railroad police are commissioned in one state, they can work in another, if that state has authorized railroad police, however to the limit allowed by the state they are in.
Special Agents typically investigate major incidents such as derailment
s, 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.
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, TX.
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
. Its headquarters is situated in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
Jurisdiction
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 policeRailroad police
Railroad police are different from one country to another. Their roles in some countries are not different from that of any other police agency in others they are more related to a type of security police. They are all commonly responsible for the protection of railroad vast networks of...
, its primary jurisdiction is unconventional, consisting of 34,000 miles of track
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
in 25 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 (Title 49, USC, Section 28101.) This authority means that if railroad police are commissioned in one state, they can work in another, if that state has authorized railroad police, however to the limit allowed by the state they are in.
Special Agents typically investigate major incidents such as derailment
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
s, sabotage, grade crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
accidents and hazardous material accidents and minor issues such as trespassing on the railroad right of way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
, vandalism/graffiti, and theft of company property or customer product.
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, TX.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the BNSF Railroad Police Department, 20 officers have died in the line of duty. The following list contains officers from departments that have since merged with the BNSF Police Department. Those departments are: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Police Department, Burlington Northern Railroad Police Department, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Police Department, Fort Worth and Denver Railroad Police Department, Northern Pacific Railroad Police Department, and the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad Police Department.| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Detective James Rauland | |
Gunfire |
| Railroad Detective C. S. Calhoun | |
Gunfire |
| Railroad Detective Charles L. Stewart | |
Gunfire |
| Railroad Policeman Alexander S. Smith | |
Gunfire |
| Special Agent J. A. McClure | |
Gunfire |
| Special Agent Ray Cunningham | |
Gunfire |
| Railroad Policeman William Applestiel | |
Gunfire |
| Special Police Officer Jack Chelton Harris | |
Gunfire |
| Special Officer Thomas McMillin | |
Gunfire |
| Special Officer Charles Sherman Patterson | |
Gunfire (Accidental) |
| Special Officer Roy E. Burton | |
Gunfire |
| Special Agent Louis McCamant | |
Assault |
| Special Officer Lewis H. Mickey | |
Gunfire |
| Special Officer William H. Garrett | |
Vehicular assault |
| Special Officer James Edward Dunman | |
Gunfire |
| Special Agent Durward Faulding Geddes | |
Gunfire |
| Railroad Detective Benjamin Earl (Red) Gaughenbaugh | |
Heart attack |
| Special Agent Harry Lloyd Ashley | |
Gunfire |
| Special Agent Frank Clarence Schultz | |
Struck by train |
| Special Agent James Robert Robison | |
Struck by train |