The Maryland Transportation Authority Police is the eighth-largest law enforcement agency in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

and is charged with providing law enforcement services on

Maryland Transportation Authority The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is an independent state agency responsible for financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining eight transportation facilities, currently consisting of two toll roads, two tunnels, and four bridge ...

highways and facilities throughout the Maryland, in addition to contractual services that are provided at

Baltimore–Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internatio ...

, and the

Port of Baltimore Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's largest port facilities fo ...

History

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police trace their beginnings to the opening of the new

Baltimore Harbor Tunnel The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is a pair of two-lane road tunnels carrying Interstate 895—the Harbor Tunnel Thruway—under the Patapsco River southeast of downtown Baltimore, Maryland. Description The pair of tunnels is long, stretchin ...

and the Harbor Tunnel Thruway connecting highways (now part of Interstate 895) which crosses under the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

of Baltimore's Harbor in 1957, when the municipal "Harbor Tunnel Thruway Special Police Force" was established. In 1971, this force developed a State-authorized Police Academy, Commercial Vehicle Safety Division, police-apprenticeship program, and an Honor/Color Guard. An additional under-harbor tunnel was added in the mid-1980s with the construction of the parallel

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attac ...

tunnel for

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

. In 1998, by act of the

Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber ...

the previous

Maryland Port Administration The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is an organization comprising five business units and one Authority: * Maryland Transportation Authority (Transportation Secretary serves as chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority) * M ...

Police was abolished and the members were merged into the larger Maryland Transportation Authority Police under the new

Maryland Department of Transportation The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is an organization comprising five business units and one Authority: * Maryland Transportation Authority (Transportation Secretary serves as chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority) * ...

. The new police force assumed law enforcement responsibilities for the Helen Delich Bentley

facilities including the

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

, Seagirt,

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

, Clinton Street, Fairfield and Locust Point Marine Terminals, as well as the downtown

Baltimore World Trade Center Located on the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, the Baltimore World Trade Center is the world's tallest regular pentagonal-based skyscraper (the pentagonal-based JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston is taller, but is not regular). It was designed ...

on East Pratt Street at the "

Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". Th ...

". Today the MDTA Police force has grown to encompass law enforcement responsibilities at all of Maryland's transportation facilities projects, also including the

, and the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.

Chiefs of Police

* Chief Kevin Anderson, 2020–Present * Chief Jerry Jones, 2015–2020 * Chief Michael Kundrat, 2013–2015 * Chief Marcus L. Brown, 2007–2011 * Chief Gary McLhinney, 2003–2007 * Chief Larry Harmel, 1997–2003 * Chief Edward Hechmer, 1982–1997 * Acting Commander Lionel Foote, 1981–1982 * Major Walter Wallace, 1977–1981 * Captain John J. Zimmerer 1971–1977 * Captain John J. Zimmerer 1957–1971

Overview

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police, the first state law enforcement agency to be nationally accredited in the state of Maryland, is the second-largest state law enforcement agency and the eighth-largest law enforcement agency in Maryland, with approx. 500 sworn officers and 100 civilian law enforcement professionals. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police provide law enforcement services to some of the most critical transportation infrastructures in the state of Maryland. These areas include all Maryland Transportation Authority highways, such as Interstate 95 within the city of Baltimore north to the

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

state line, Interstate 895, portions of Interstate 695, U.S. Routes 40, 50, 301, and the

Intercounty Connector Maryland Route 200 (MD 200), also known as the Intercounty Connector or ICC, is an , six-lane toll road in the U.S. state of Maryland. A controlled-access highway, it connects Gaithersburg in Montgomery County and Laurel in Prince George's Cou ...

(MD 200). In addition to these responsibilities the Maryland Transportation Authority Police also handle the law enforcement services at the Baltimore Washington International/Thurgood Marshall Airport and the Port of Baltimore. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police also provide law enforcement services and inspections related to commercial vehicle truck safety on Interstate 95 (JFK Highway), Interstate 895, Interstate 695, US-50, US-40 and US-301. The Maryland State Police, under contract with the Maryland Transportation Authority, provides law enforcement services along the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (IS 95 from northern Baltimore County to the Delaware state line).

Organizational structure

Special Operations Division Patrol Division Support Services Division Logistics Division

Rank structure

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police is a

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

organization with a rank structure similar to the United States military. The ranks of corporal through lieutenant are based on promotional testing. Captains and above are appointed by the chief of police. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police rank structure is as listed:

Training Academy

Members of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police are professional law-enforcement officers who must meet established standards and successfully complete a rigorous training program as required by the Maryland Police Training Commission. Officer candidates receive this training at the Maryland Transportation Authority's Police Training Academy, a fully accredited police-training facility located near the "Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge" Baltimore Beltway, Interstate 695. Officer candidates are expected to maintain physical and mental discipline throughout the academy. The standard training course covers subjects such as criminal and motor-vehicle law, accident investigation, first aid, abnormal psychology, traffic control, criminal investigation, defensive tactics, weapons qualifications and court procedures. In addition, college credits are available at the

Community College of Baltimore County The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is a public community college in Baltimore County, Maryland, with three main campuses and three extension centers. Academics CCBC has more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs in ...

's Dundalk campus. Academy students are required to maintain a high academic standing during their seven-month classroom training. Upon graduation, officers will be assigned to field training officers for an additional eight weeks of training. Thereafter, officers are eligible for assignment to any of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police detachments located throughout Maryland.

Detachments

Specialized Units

Maryland Transportation Authority Police Specialized Units are: * Homeland Enforcement and Traffic Team (HEAT) * Motor Unit * K-9 Unit * Marine Unit * Commercial Vehicle Safety Unit (CVSU) * Commercial Enforcement and Response Team (CERT) formerly the Aggressive Driving Unit (ADU) * Detective Unit * Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) * Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) * Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) *Special Response Team (SRT) * Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) * Bicycle Patrol * Honor Guard * Honor Guard Rifle Team * Information and Technology Law Enforcement Unit (ITLE) * Recruitment and Selection Unit * Public Affairs Unit * Training Unit

Equipment

Weapons Maryland Transportation Authority Police Officers are currently issued a Glock 45 9mm, with a red dot sight. ("Safe Action") pistol. Some officers are also issued an 870 Remington 12-gauge shotgun, but all officers are certified to operate both weapons. Additionally officers are issued an ASP collapsible baton, OC Spray, Taser 7, handcuffs, flashlights and a radio. Patrol Vehicles The Maryland Transportation Authority Police currently use the police package

Ford Crown Victoria The Ford Crown Victoria ("Crown Vic") is a full-size sedan that was marketed and manufactured by Ford. The successor to the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, two generations of the model line were produced from the 1992 to 2012 model years. The Fo ...

Ford Police Interceptor The Ford Police Interceptor is a range of automobiles manufactured by Ford. First used in 1992, the range consists of existing Ford models modified and sold for use as police cars and other car-based emergency vehicles. Though Ford has historica ...

(sedan and utility models),

Dodge Charger The Dodge Charger is a model of automobile marketed by Dodge in various forms over seven generations since 1966. The first Charger was a show car in 1964. A 1965 Charger II concept car resembled the 1966 production version. The Charger has ...

Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles ...

, and

Chevrolet Caprice The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960s ...

as their primary patrol vehicles. Chevrolet Express vans are used for prisoner transport.

Maryland Transportation Authority Police Awards

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police presents a number of awards to its members for meritorious service. The awards that the Maryland Transportation Authority Police awards to its officers are as follows: * Award of Excellence * Life Saving Award * Distinguished Service Award * Chief's Commendation * Unit Commendation * Motor Carrier Inspector of the Year * Law Enforcement Supervisor of the Year * Detachment Law Enforcement Officer of the Year * Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

Fallen officers

Seven officers have died while on duty.The Officer Down Memorial Page
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References

External links

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police Website The Maryland Transportation Authority Website Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #34, Maryland Transportation Authority Police
{{authority control State law enforcement agencies of Maryland Specialist police departments of Maryland Transit police departments of the United States Port police departments of the United States Airport police departments of the United States