The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD) is the police agency of New York's

Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in th ...

Officers of the MTAPD are fully empowered under the New York State Public Authorities Law and are commissioned in the state of Connecticut.is the law enforcement agency of New York's

. MTA police officers are fully empowered under the New York State Public Authorities Law and are commissioned in the state of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. Their geographic area of employment extends to all counties in New York served by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, giving officers the ability to exercise full police authority within the counties of

Dutchess Dutchess County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, Poughkeeps ...

, Putnam,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, Rockland, Westchester,

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

, Suffolk, and in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. The MTA Police Department is the primary railroad police agency in New York State and Connecticut. The New York City subways are patrolled by the NYPD Transit Bureau under contract since 1994. Since 2019, the MTA Police has officers conducting daily subway patrols in New York City in an effort to assist the NYPD in addressing quality of life issues, like homelessness, that affect commuters.

History

The department was formed on January 1, 1998, with the consolidation of the Long Island Rail Road Police Department and the Metro-North Railroad Police Department. Since 9/11, the department has expanded in size and has ramped up dramatically its counter-terrorism capabilities, adding canine teams and emergency services officers. There is one lieutenant, four sergeants, and 44 police officers who are assigned to the K-9 Unit and serve as handlers with their canine partners. The department has one of the best trained K-9 units in the United States. At a national competition in 2013, two MTA Police dogs took third and fourth place in explosives detection. Currently, training for new recruits is conducted at the

New York City Police Academy The New York City Police Academy is the police academy of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Within the organization of the New York City Police Department, the Chief of Training oversees the Training Bureau, which includes the Police Aca ...

. After successfully completing the academy curriculum, officers are further trained in Connecticut law and law enforcement procedures.

Staten Island

On June 1, 2005, the Staten Island Rapid Transit Police Department, with 25 officers, was merged into the MTA Police Department. The Staten Island Rapid Transit Police Department was responsible for policing the

Staten Island Rapid Transit The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit line in the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, ...

System in the borough of Staten Island in New York City. This was the final step in consolidating MTA agency law enforcement, and increased the total workforce of the department to 716, including civilians.

New York City Subway

On September 12, 2019, the MTA announced the addition of 500 MTAPD officers to patrol the New York City Subway, nearly doubling the 783 officers previously employed by the MTAPD. This came shortly after Governor Andrew Cuomo directed the MTA to solve the issue of homelessness in the subway system. After criticism of multiple high-profile arrests, multiple MTA board members expressed concerns over the added police presence, citing the high cost of personnel, estimated at $249 million over four years.

Acceditation

On the 3 March 2016 the MTAPD attained accreditation status from th
New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services
Accreditation Council.

Structure

On June 29, 2022, former

Yonkers Police Department Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enum ...

Commissioner John Mueller was appointed as the sixth Chief of Police. The structure of the MTA Police is made up of the following senior officers: # Chief of Police ("4-star" rank) - head of the MTAPD # Chief of Operations, Administration ("3-star" rank) - second in command and in charge of operations # Assistant Chief of Special Services ("2-star" rank) - third in command and in charge of special services Below them rank the rest of the department (see rank structure below) of approximately 1000 police officers. Officers serve across the transit system and in various departments (see below).

Ranks of Department

The following is a list of all of the ranks of the MTA Police Department: Rank insignia for Sergeant and Detective Sergeant (when in uniform) is worn on the upper sleeves of the shirt and jacket while rank insignia for Lieutenant through Chief of Department is worn on the collars of the shirt and the shoulders of the jacket.

Power and authority

MTAPD officers are New York State police officers according to New York State Criminal Procedure Law, §1.20(34). This means they have police powers powers, within New York State. Officers are also commissioned officers in

, as MTAPD works in Connecticut (see above section).

Uniforms and equipment

Despite being a state (or inter-state) law enforcement agency, MTAPD officers wear similar uniform to NYPD personnel. This includes: *dark blue shirt with metal badge and collar pins *dark blue trousers *tie *jacket and coat *eight-point blue peaked cap, with cap-badge *duty belt *bullet-resistant vest *equipment vest *boots The ESU and Hybrid Threat Unit wears a less formal version without metal badges and pins, and with writing on their shirts and jackets, with no "shield". A variety of vests, gloves and other appropriate gear for the season/duty can be worn, such as traffic vests. MTAPD officers are all armed with a pistol and also carry: *Taser *Expandable baton *OC spray *Handcuffs *Radio that is linked with central despatch and other officers *notebooks and pens. All officers wear a police badge (known in New York as a "shield") on their left chest, in regular and ceremonial uniform. The colour and style changes with rank.

Districts

There are currently 11 police districts within the MTA Police Department:

Specialized units

The department has the following specialized units (details): * Canine (K-9) Unit - provides special police dog support * Computer Crimes Unit * Emergency Services Unit - police officers, with special equipment, who are trained for a variety of serious emergencies. Similar to the units of the

Port Authority Police The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, or Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), is a law enforcement agency in New York and New Jersey, the duties of which are to protect and to enforce state and city laws at all th ...

and

New York City Police The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

. * Detective Division - investigates serious crimes to do with MTA * Highway Unit ''also known as "Highway Patrol"'' - patrols and protects the MTA bridges, highways, tunnels and other roads. * Homeless Assistance Unit * Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force - works with other New York state and city agencies. * Discovery Unit * Executive Protection Unit * Hybrid Threat Unit * Fare Evasion Task Force * Body Worn Camera Unit * Communications Unit * Emergency Operations * Internal Affairs Bureau * Technology & System Development * Right of Way Task Force * Training Unit * Applicant Investigations

Patrolman's Benevolent Association

The MTAPD has a Patrolman's Benevolent Association, which is a union for the MTA Police officers, from the ranks of "Officer" to "Lieutenant" inclusive. The MTA website states:

Social media

The MTAPD has
Twitter
account, that it uses to disseminate useful information for users of the MTA.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, New York City, New York (state), Connecticut Transit police departments of the United States Metropolitan Transportation Authority Specialist police departments of New York (state) Specialist police departments of Connecticut Law enforcement agencies of New York City