General Discussion

To our friends Zugmann and Murray: chill out. I'm not knocking law enforcement folks. Just like every profession, there are folks who let their jobs go to their heads and perhaps,  that is what took place on the issue of discussion. My brother was a officer for the Sedgwick County sherriff dept for 11 yrs until making a career change and getting out of law enforcement. I'm no stanger to law officers and what they do but again there are bad/dumb apples in every bunch. One of the forum members, who posts mostly on the MR side, is a Resource Protection dept employee at a major yard in the midwest. Perhaps  we can get him to come on and give his thoughts of what has been said thus far.

SFbrkmn:

To our friends Zugmann and Murray: chill out. I'm not knocking law enforcement folks. Just like every profession, there are folks who let their jobs go to their heads and perhaps,  that is what took place on the issue of discussion. My brother was a officer for the Sedgwick County sherriff dept for 11 yrs until making a career change and getting out of law enforcement. I'm no stanger to law officers and what they do but again there are bad/dumb apples in every bunch. One of the forum members, who posts mostly on the MR side, is a Resource Protection dept employee at a major yard in the midwest. Perhaps  we can get him to come on and give his thoughts of what has been said thus far.

Ok...and I shook Ronald Reagan's hand in 1980 (in Wichita, Kansas...where I lived at the time...but thats another story for another time).

In your original post you derided law enforcement personnel.  And I take issue with your disparaging comment of law enforcement personnel (whether in a city, county...or the railroad) as being "Barney Fife types".

Any person working law enforcement deserves better respect than that you have given them.  They certainly have mine.

Perhaps you're the one that needs to chill?

 This is an interesting discussion.  I have railfanned in and around cities and rural areas and never had  a bad encounter with RR police.  THe only times I had an "encounter" where I had to show ID was when I was in a place I was not supposed to be and it was marked no trespassing (one time).  I did something stupid and was called on it.  I took it like a man and accepted responsibility for my actions; the RR police were actually really cool about it all and just asked me to leave, which I did.  I also treated the officer with respect which I believe went a long way in not getting a ticket.  The question I have for all of the railfans out there who are indignant about being questioned by the RR police is this -- what would you do if someone was standing near your house, on public property, watching your house or car or your yard?  I'll  bet a discussion with the person out there would happen real quick or a call to the cops.  Why would it be any different for the RR and its property?  Show respect and you will get it in return.  Be disrespectful, and you will be disrespected.  Just my two cents...

pajrr:

It seems to me that the people who have a problem with railroad police doing their jobs are the ones who are caught where they don't belong. Some railfans feel that railroads "owe them" because they are railfans and above all others. These police are doing their jobs. If they ask you to move, you move. I was on a bus trip to a RR facility. We were told by the RR police you may go up to the open gate, not go through it. One of these railfans on the trip marched right through the gate oblivious to everything. The result? Everyone was ordered back on the bus and the bus was escorted off the property. Come on people. You are railfans. you like trains. That doesn't mean that railroads have to like you. I think they tolerate us quite nicely. Don't blow it for everyone else.

I agree.