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39-873: The Amtrak Police Department ( APD ) is a federal railroad police department of Amtrak (also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation), the government-owned passenger train system in the United States . It is headquartered at Union Station in Washington, D.C. , and as of 2023 has a force of 431 sworn police officers, most of whom are stationed within the Northeast Corridor , Amtrak's busiest route. The APD has primary jurisdiction over Amtrak stations nationwide, trains, rights-of-way , maintenance facilities, and crimes committed against Amtrak, its employees, or its passengers. The APD

78-594: A bill in Congress to create the Department of Justice. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill into law on June 22, 1870. Grant appointed Amos T. Akerman as attorney general and Benjamin H. Bristow as America's first solicitor general the same week that Congress created the Department of Justice. The Department's immediate function was to preserve civil rights. It set about fighting against domestic terrorist groups who had been using both violence and litigation to oppose

117-529: A cabinet member with a strong political base, but he seldom spoke up. Following unsuccessful efforts in 1830 and 1846 to make attorney general a full-time job, in 1867, the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary , led by Congressman William Lawrence , conducted an inquiry into the creation of a "law department" headed by the attorney general and also composed of the various department solicitors and United States attorneys . On February 19, 1868, Lawrence introduced

156-447: A state law establishing requirements applicable to rail police or individuals employed in a similar position may be employed without regard to the law of another state containing those requirements. In sum, Amtrak police officers have the same police authority as a local or state law enforcement officer, within their jurisdiction. They investigate various types of crime that occur within and around stations, trains and rights of way. Since

195-457: A website that supported the USA PATRIOT Act . It was criticized by government watchdog groups for its alleged violation of U.S. Code Title 18 Section 1913, which forbids money appropriated by Congress to be used to lobby in favor of any law, actual or proposed. The website has since been taken offline. On October 5, 2021, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has announced the formation of

234-483: Is one of six American Class I railroad law enforcement agencies, alongside those of BNSF , CPKC , CSX , Norfolk Southern , and Union Pacific . Since 1979, most Amtrak police officers have been trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) although some recruits may be certified through a local police academy. Created by Congress , Amtrak's enabling legislation under

273-511: The 13th , 14th , and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Both Akerman and Bristow used the Department of Justice to vigorously prosecute Ku Klux Klan members in the early 1870s. In the first few years of Grant's first term in office, there were 1000 indictments against Klan members, with over 550 convictions from the Department of Justice. By 1871, there were 3000 indictments and 600 convictions, with most only serving brief sentences, while

312-659: The DoD or the US Armed Forces . Each branch also has a law enforcement agency responsible for the investigation of more serious crimes and incidents, such as the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division . Different federal law enforcement authorities have authority under different parts of the United States Code (U.S.C.). Most are limited by the U.S. Code to investigating matters that are explicitly within

351-721: The Federal Bureau of Investigation , the U.S. Marshals Service , the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives , the Drug Enforcement Administration , and the Federal Bureau of Prisons . The department also has eight divisions of lawyers who represent the U.S. federal government in litigation: the Criminal , Civil , Antitrust , Tax , Civil Rights , Environment and Natural Resources , National Security , and Justice Management Divisions . The department also includes

390-547: The September 11 attacks , APD has become more terrorism-focused. Such mission shift became even more prevalent after the Madrid train bombings in 2004. It maintains a robust K-9 division composed of patrol and bomb dogs. APD officers work in partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement to perform their duties in accordance with the agency's mission to protect America's railroads. In theory, officers have jurisdiction in all

429-617: The U.S. Attorneys' Offices for each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts . The U.S. Congress created the Justice Department in 1870 during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant . The Justice Department's functions originally date to 1789, when Congress created the office of the Attorney General. The office of the attorney general was established by the Judiciary Act of 1789 as a part-time job for one person, but grew with

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468-628: The U.S. Secret Service (USSS), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (created by combining the former agencies of the United States Border Patrol , United States Customs Service , and the United States Department of Agriculture 's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) into a single agency within

507-449: The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became the department with the most sworn armed Federal law enforcement officers and agents upon its creation in 2002 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when it incorporated agencies seen as having roles in protecting the country against terrorism. This included large agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI),

546-459: The bureaucracy . At one time, the attorney general gave legal advice to the U.S. Congress , as well as the president ; however, in 1819, the attorney general began advising Congress alone to ensure a manageable workload. Until 1853, the salary of the attorney general was set by statute at less than the amount paid to other Cabinet members. Early attorneys general supplemented their salaries by running private law practices, often arguing cases before

585-556: The federal government took on some law enforcement responsibilities, and the Department of Justice was tasked with performing these. In 1884, control of federal prisons was transferred to the new department, from the Department of the Interior . New facilities were built, including the penitentiary at Leavenworth in 1895, and a facility for women located in West Virginia , at Alderson

624-627: The 46 states where Amtrak operates but generally are stationed in busier locations. Each of the Divisional Commands provides various police services for the geographical area they cover. The different divisions within the department can be categorized as the following: Below is the rank structure for the Amtrak PD. Ranks are listed from junior (bottom) to senior (top). In 2016, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into

663-632: The 50 states and the District of Columbia, out of the more than 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States . Federal law enforcement in the United States is more than two hundred years old. For example, the Postal Inspection Service can trace its origins back to 1772, while the U.S. Marshals Service dates to 1789. Other agencies, such as the FBI , are relatively recent, being founded in

702-574: The Attorney General's office in the Department of Justice Main Building in Washington, D.C. The building was renamed in honor of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in 2001. It is sometimes referred to as "Main Justice". The Justice Department also had a War Division during World War II . It was created in 1942 and disestablished in 1945. Several federal law enforcement agencies are administered by

741-532: The DHS). Agencies in bold text are law enforcement agencies (LEAs). Independent Agencies and federally-administered institutions; United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ ), also known as the Justice Department , is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in

780-492: The Department of Justice) "who prosecutes on behalf of justice (or the Lady Justice)". The motto's conception of the prosecutor (or government attorney) as being the servant of justice itself finds concrete expression in a similarly-ordered English-language inscription ("THE UNITED STATES WINS ITS POINT WHENEVER JUSTICE IS DONE ITS CITIZENS IN THE COURTS") in the above-door paneling in the ceremonial rotunda anteroom just outside

819-463: The Department of Justice. Similarly the Office of Domestic Preparedness left the Justice Department for the Department of Homeland Security, but only for executive purposes. The Office of Domestic Preparedness is still centralized within the Department of Justice, since its personnel are still officially employed within the Department of Justice. In 2003, the Department of Justice created LifeAndLiberty.gov,

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858-522: The Department of Justice: In March 2003, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service was abolished and its functions transferred to the United States Department of Homeland Security . The Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Board of Immigration Appeals , which review decisions made by government officials under Immigration and Nationality law, remain under jurisdiction of

897-530: The Department of the Interior, the prosecution of all federal crimes, and the representation of the United States in all court actions, barring the use of private attorneys by the federal government. The law also created the office of Solicitor General to supervise and conduct government litigation in the Supreme Court of the United States . With the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887,

936-554: The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, now codified starting at 49 U.S.C. 24101, established the authority for Amtrak to have its own police force. The statutory authority was unique at the time and included interstate police powers. The Amtrak rail police law, now found at 49 U.S.C. 24305 (e), states as follows: (e) Rail Police. —Amtrak may employ rail police to provide security for rail passengers and property of Amtrak. Rail police employed by Amtrak who have complied with

975-453: The United States. It is equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries. The department is headed by the U.S. attorney general , who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet . The current attorney general is Merrick Garland , who has served since March 2021. The Justice Department contains most of the United States' federal law enforcement agencies , including

1014-502: The courts as attorneys for paying litigants. The lightness of the office is exemplified by Edward Bates (1793–1869), Attorney General under Abraham Lincoln (1861 to 1864). Bates had only a small operation, with a staff of six. The main function was to generate legal opinions at the request of Lincoln and cabinet members, and handle occasional cases before the Supreme Court. Lincoln's cabinet was full of experienced lawyers who seldom felt

1053-613: The early twentieth century. Other agencies have been reformed, such as the ATF which was formed only in 1972, but had its origins in 1886. Some federal law enforcement agencies have been formed after mergers of other agencies, over the years. This includes the CBP , ATF , and the DEA . Military law enforcement, although federal, consists of both military personnel and civilian officers. For example, " DoD Police " refers to any civilian engaged in police duties for

1092-475: The most prominent, collection of federal law enforcement agencies. It has handled most law enforcement duties at the federal level and includes the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and others. However,

1131-597: The need to ask for his opinions. Bates had no authority over the US Attorneys around the country. The federal court system was handled by the Interior Department; the Treasury handled claims. Most of the opinions turned out by Bates's office were of minor importance. Lincoln gave him no special assignments and did not seek his advice on Supreme Court appointments. Bates did have an opportunity to comment on general policy as

1170-529: The original intended meaning of the Latin motto appearing on the Department of Justice seal, Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequitur (literally "Who For Lady Justice Strives"). It is not even known exactly when the original version of the DOJ seal itself was adopted, or when the motto first appeared on the seal. The most authoritative opinion of the DOJ suggests that the motto refers to the Attorney General (and thus, by extension, to

1209-502: The power of the federal government. There are exceptions, with some agencies and officials enforcing codes of U.S. states and tribes of Native Americans in the United States . Some federal investigative powers have become broader in practice, especially since the passage of the Patriot Act in October 2001. The United States Department of Justice was formerly the largest and is still

Amtrak Police Department - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-429: The presidency of Amtrak had passed from Joseph Boardman (who had appointed Hanson in 2012) to Wick Moorman , Chief Hanson resigned. On February 8, 2017, Amtrak Police Officer LaRoyce Tankson shot and killed an unarmed man, Chad Robertson, who had been spotted smoking marijuana outside Chicago Union Station and was running from police. The bullet was fired from a distance between 75 and 100 feet and struck Robertson in

1287-612: The ringleaders were imprisoned for up to five years in the federal penitentiary in Albany, New York . The result was a dramatic decrease in violence in the South. Akerman gave credit to Grant and told a friend that no one was "better" or "stronger" than Grant when it came to prosecuting terrorists. George H. Williams , who succeeded Akerman in December 1871, continued to prosecute the Klan throughout 1872 until

1326-583: The shoulder from behind. Tankson's attorney, Will Fahy, claimed Tankson saw Robertson turn and reach for what Tankson thought was a firearm and thus believed he was about to be shot. However, four eyewitnesses stated they did not see Robertson gesture having a gun. Tankson was charged with first degree murder and released from custody after posting ten percent of the $ 250,000 bail. On March 8, 2017, Amtrak's Fraternal Order of Police lodge claimed having collected more than $ 4,000 to help Tankson, contending that he fired in self-defense. On February 28, 2020, Officer Tankson

1365-436: The spring of 1873, during Grant's second term in office. Williams then placed a moratorium on Klan prosecutions partially because the Justice Department, inundated by cases involving the Klan, did not have the manpower to continue prosecutions. The "Act to Establish the Department of Justice" drastically increased the attorney general's responsibilities to include the supervision of all United States attorneys, formerly under

1404-408: The then-Amtrak Police Chief Polly Hanson, regarding a conflict of interest involving her boyfriend who had been awarded a counterterrorism contract she helped oversee, and in whose award Hanson reportedly had influence. In statements, Hanson claimed no knowledge of the boyfriend, but an investigation revealed that they had been cohabiting in a condominium that they jointly owned. In September 2016, after

1443-555: Was acquitted. Federal law enforcement in the United States While the majority of federal law enforcement employees work for the Department of Justice and Homeland Security , there are dozens of other federal law enforcement agencies under the other executive departments, as well as under the legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. Federal agencies employ approximately 137,000 full-time personnel authorized to make arrests and/or carry firearms in

1482-425: Was completed in 1935 from a design by Milton Bennett Medary . Upon Medary's death in 1929, the other partners of his Philadelphia firm Zantzinger, Borie and Medary took over the project. On a lot bordered by Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues and Ninth and Tenth Streets, Northwest, it holds over 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m ) of space. Various efforts, none entirely successful, have been made to determine

1521-609: Was established in 1924. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order which gave the Department of Justice responsibility for the "functions of prosecuting in the courts of the United States claims and demands by, and offsenses [ sic ] against, the Government of the United States, and of defending claims and demands against the Government, and of supervising the work of United States attorneys, marshals, and clerks in connection therewith, now exercised by any agency or officer..." The U.S. Department of Justice building

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