Railroad "Cop" in Action

[Anonymous]

Like a lot of folks here, I too am a life long railfan and modeler. Over the years (about 1981 on) I've been on railroad property more times than I can remember. That said, my habits at trackside somewhat changed after the BNSF merger and again after 9/11, that time I habits drastically changed. Actually, I model the abandoned Milwaukee Road in Eastern Washington largely to avoid class 1 photography issues and that's worked out pretty well for me.

Now, I'm not pointing fingers at anyone but rather, I'm making a general statement -- A reason some railfans get into trouble stems from an engrained sense of genuine entitlement to be able to stand next to the tracks at take pictures as they always have in the past. This is something I've never seen anyone talk about before, but it's an issue! Oh yeah, it's an issue!

Once again, I'm not directly commenting about the video, just saying -- I've been stopped three times in the past 10 years. Once by a BNSF cop in Pasco, Washington (1996), once by a St. Maries, Idaho policeman while I was measuring a speeder shed (2005), and just recently, a Salem, Oregon policeman while waiting for the Coast Starlight. All three times, I was civil and friendly as could be and guess what I got in return? True, you can be civil to someone and still get jacked, railroaders can be genuine hard asses and some even go so far to hold a general contemp for everyone around them, railfans especially. But you certainly might help yourself by playing nice. If you do get challenged, well, that's when you take one for the team -- Unless your on public property of course. Incidentally, the officer in St. Maries became more interested in my two retired racing Greyhounds in the back seat of my Corolla than my weird desire to measure an old speeder shed, then again the STMA isn't a BNSF or a NS by any stretch of the imagination.

Still, had that been me you all saw in the video, you would have seen something different...

-Ryan

Disclaimer, Yes, I've worked for a railroad in the past.

[greyhounds]

So, are you the same "Ryan" who wrote "Box to Wire". I want the book!

If you are, I certainly noticed your reference to the Milwaukee Road in the "Greyhound Review" and I was amazed to see a picture of a Milwaukee steamer in a dog magazine.

I was also amazed to learn the Greyhound track at Post Falls, ID was built on ex-MILW property.

Got to love anything that runs on a track! ('ceptin' a horse. I don't care much for horses.)

[Anonymous]

Hey Ken!
Yeah, we talked on the phone once, remember? It was a while ago, but I recall you were at Dairyland Greyhound Park at the time. Oh yes, I did manage to sneak in a picture of a 4-6-0 in the Greyhound Review. It was a shot of Washington, Idaho & Montana No. 1 sitting in Potlatch, Idaho. Wasn't that cool?!?!? BTW - I'm the editor of the Milwest Dispatch and in the April 2006 issue, I ran a shot with my retired girl Tooile in it.

I was thinking, next time we're in Abilene for Nationals, we can run a train slide show in the Hall of Fame's basement. LOL

-Ryan

[Anonymous]

I blame them all the rail fans were stupid and I think were looking for a fight, something to video tape and show to the world of how mean and bad the cop was to "average rail fans" and the cop was stupid for not identifying himself from the get go. and then letting himself getting suckered in to it and making it confrontational. if he had been professional, polite and courteous from the start this video would have nothing to show and would have never made it on the web. I got out of the security field because to many of my coworkers thought I have a badge I am above every one else and I can bully every one now. and I got so sick and tired of seeing that s***. I worked in some of the worst areas of Chicago and never had any trouble. From the start I made sure they knew who and what I was. I treated them as equals I acted professionally and I was polite with them. only when they got physical with me or physically threatened me did I change and throw my weight around. But 99% of the time it never came to that

[Anonymous]

NUMBER ONE. THE RAILFAN DID NOTHING WRONG IN THE FIRST PLACE. NUMBER TWO. THE RAILROAD PIG OVER STEPTED HIS GROUNDS. ALL THE RAILFAN DID WAS TAKE PHOTOS AND SHOOT VIDEO. IF THIS IS WHAT RAILFANNING IS LIKE,THAN RAILFANNING IS A WORTHLESS HOBBY. YOU CAN'T GO ANYWARE WITH OUT SOME PIG TELLING YOU CAN'T DO THIS OR THAT. WHAT THE HELL........IF IM ON A "PUBLIC" PARKING LOT DOING THE SAME RAILFANNING AND SOME PIG COMES UP TO ME TELLING ME THAT I CAN'T TAKE PHOTOS OR SHOOT VIDEO,I JUST CALL IT HURASSMENT. THE RAILFAN DID NOTHING WRONG. ALLAN.

[Dutchrailnut]

If he did nothing wrong why does fater almost admit to tresspassing in tape, he knew he was not on public ground.
With tape doctored how do we know the Cop did not identify ??
besides when they went to their car a second railroad cop showed up from another railroad., this fact was obvious ommited.
Just remember your rights to railfan end at property line.
in both NJT and MTA cases it is noted that your rights to photography is from Public or property used as public acces only.
A few railfans like this father and son pair will only get this cop to get pissed off next time he sees a foamer.

Again public property = roads, sidewalks, parks, etc some places like parks have time restrictions.
A railroad crossing is public property outside the gates, between the gates is railroad property with easement to cross the tracks, not be confused with setting up for photography.
A industrial park is not always public property, same with back lots behind shopping centers etc.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Public property is land which is owned by a government, as opposed to private property, which is owned by non-government parties such as individuals or corporations. In many republican democracies, "public property" is said to be owned by the people as a commons. (In other types of state, such property is said to be owned by the "state" or the "crown".)

Most public property is accessible to the general public, such as zoos, libraries, and parks; some is reserved for restricted use, such as military bases and research laboratories.

[UNIONPACIFIC4018]

The yard *** seemed like all the other ones I have seen. I only chase steam so I never have any issues with them.
I'd say good luck to you guys who want to photograph modern fleets no matter what the laws are blah blah blah they do not care what it says and they have more power than you when your in their backyard.

[adrianspeeder]

Both looked like idiots to me.

[Anonymous]

In the area where I do my railfanning, CSX cops do not wear uniforms and drive un-marked vehicles. NS cops wear uniforms and their vehicles may or may not be marked. It has never got the point where I need to ask THEM for I.D.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

NUMBER ONE. THE RAILFAN DID NOTHING WRONG IN THE FIRST PLACE. NUMBER TWO. THE RAILROAD PIG OVER STEPTED HIS GROUNDS. ALL THE RAILFAN DID WAS TAKE PHOTOS AND SHOOT VIDEO. IF THIS IS WHAT RAILFANNING IS LIKE,THAN RAILFANNING IS A WORTHLESS HOBBY. YOU CAN'T GO ANYWARE WITH OUT SOME PIG TELLING YOU CAN'T DO THIS OR THAT. WHAT THE HELL........IF IM ON A "PUBLIC" PARKING LOT DOING THE SAME RAILFANNING AND SOME PIG COMES UP TO ME TELLING ME THAT I CAN'T TAKE PHOTOS OR SHOOT VIDEO,I JUST CALL IT HURASSMENT. THE RAILFAN DID NOTHING WRONG. ALLAN.

Allan, I find your contempt for police officials a little disturbing. I also find the use of the term "Pig" for police officials to be offensive. Please do not use that term in the future when posting.

The railroad official has a job to do. Perhaps he may not have done it in the most tactful manner possible, but the bottom line is, when a policeman instructs you to do something, the best course of action is for you to comply. Instead of complying, all the older fan did was try and pick a fight. Now I ask you, is that the wisest course of action possible?

I think not.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by sentinal

I blame them all the rail fans were stupid and I think were looking for a fight, something to video tape and show to the world of how mean and bad the cop was to "average rail fans" and the cop was stupid for not identifying himself from the get go. and then letting himself getting suckered in to it and making it confrontational. if he had been professional, polite and courteous from the start this video would have nothing to show and would have never made it on the web. I got out of the security field because to many of my coworkers thought I have a badge I am above every one else and I can bully every one now. and I got so sick and tired of seeing that s***. I worked in some of the worst areas of Chicago and never had any trouble. From the start I made sure they knew who and what I was. I treated them as equals I acted professionally and I was polite with them. only when they got physical with me or physically threatened me did I change and throw my weight around. But 99% of the time it never came to that

Also, the fact that the tape was edited by the admission of the person shooting the video (that came form another forum site), it is impossible to even look at this file with an objective eye. The shooter of this video said that the entire length of this tape ran about six minutes or so.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Harry_Runyon

Here is the original post (from another forum site) from the person who supposedly took this video:

http://www.railroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12985

The webmaster over there got a little over zealous and chose to pull the plug on the discussion when it appeared that there was an opposing view other than just that of irate railfans.

Well now...

The webmaster at railroadforums.com decided to pull the plug on my account there, apparently because I had the nerve to question why the video of the railroad cop was removed.

Nothing like a lttle censorship by a storm trooper moderator/webmaster to start off your day.



So if you ever go over there...beware...you could be next victim.

[Poppa_Zit]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Harry_Runyon

QUOTE: Originally posted by Harry_Runyon

Here is the original post (from another forum site) from the person who supposedly took this video:

http://www.railroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12985

The webmaster over there got a little over zealous and chose to pull the plug on the discussion when it appeared that there was an opposing view other than just that of irate railfans.

Well now...

The webmaster at railroadforums.com decided to pull the plug on my account there, apparently because I had the nerve to question why the video of the railroad cop was removed.

Nothing like a lttle censorship by a storm trooper moderator/webmaster to start off your day.



So if you ever go over there...beware...you could be next victim.

Not to worry, Harry. Some people like that want the glory, but can't take the heat.

The video is not dead. Anyone who already watched it has a copy of it on their hard drive in the Temporary Internet Files folder until they clean it. In fact, just in case of such a scenario, I downloaded a copy right off the website for myself.

[RRKen]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

NUMBER ONE. THE RAILFAN DID NOTHING WRONG IN THE FIRST PLACE. NUMBER TWO. THE RAILROAD PIG OVER STEPTED HIS GROUNDS. ALL THE RAILFAN DID WAS TAKE PHOTOS AND SHOOT VIDEO. IF THIS IS WHAT RAILFANNING IS LIKE,THAN RAILFANNING IS A WORTHLESS HOBBY. YOU CAN'T GO ANYWARE WITH OUT SOME PIG TELLING YOU CAN'T DO THIS OR THAT. WHAT THE HELL........IF IM ON A "PUBLIC" PARKING LOT DOING THE SAME RAILFANNING AND SOME PIG COMES UP TO ME TELLING ME THAT I CAN'T TAKE PHOTOS OR SHOOT VIDEO,I JUST CALL IT HURASSMENT. THE RAILFAN DID NOTHING WRONG. ALLAN.

What part of private property don't you understand? The area is indeed railroad property, and they were wrong for being there. (Asked a former PC man about it)

Life is not what it used to be, adapting to it, requires one thing. Humility. It allows one to admit he might be wrong once in a while, and move on.

As far as the officer involved, how many times do you think he has patrolled that area? How many other fans has he shagged off? Is there a reason? Past incidents, that may not have involved the B&OCT or NS/Conrail? Is there gang activity in the area? How can one know for sure? Now, I am willing to bet, if asked in a decent manner, the Gumshoe might have related the whats and whys.

I gotta go to work, but I find this conversation a bit too much, as the reality always has been, if you are on the property, the owners can remove you for any reason they like. Yes and for the record, I support our local police, and UP's police. And like the rest of us, they have a job to do, and duty to fulfill. Sometimes, you may not like them doing their job, but such is life.

[sd452]

When one takes the time to read the original forum from the other site the author of the video admits that the video is edited and initially tries to put the blame for the incident on the railroad cop but when other forum participants started questioning his actions them decided to switch the blame to his father. This in itself is suspicious to me. I belive that the Author and the Father should have been more courtius to the officer, as in my personal experience being nice to a cop (without going to the extent of brownosing) goes a long way. I have been Stoped several times on railroad property in my local area ,infat in Neenah Wi some of the city cops know me by name for that reason, and have only been asked to remove myself and my property from the railroads property, one office even advised me of some public property where i could set up my camera and still get great pictures.

[Anonymous]

MURRY. I PERSONALY AM "NOT" ATTACKING YOU AT ALL. I JUST CANNOT STAND A POWER HUNGRY COP. FOR ONE THING I DON'T GIVE A HOLY HOOT ANYMORE. AND ANOTHER THING. COPS PUSH IT JUST A LITTLE TO FAR. COPS THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY WEAR THAT SOOPED UP BADGE THEY GO INTO THIS POWER HUNGRY STAGE. IT'S WRONG. AND RAILFANS ARN'T JUST THE ONLY PROBLEM ALL BECAUSE OF TRESSPASSING. OH SURE! THE RAILFAN WAS IN THE WRONG,YES,HE WAS. BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVE THE RENT A COP TO GO AND ACT LIKE TOTAL JACKA**. IF YOU SEE A RAILFAN ON THE PROPERTY,GIVE HIM OR HER A WARNING. IF THEY DO IT AGAIN. THEN FINE HIM OR HER OR EVEN TAKE THEM TO JAIL. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. RAILFANNING IS AN ENJOYMENT,AND NOT TO BE HURASSED BY SOMEONE.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

MURRY. I PERSONALY AM "NOT" ATTACKING YOU AT ALL. I JUST CANNOT STAND A POWER HUNGRY COP. FOR ONE THING I DON'T GIVE A HOLY HOOT ANYMORE. AND ANOTHER THING. COPS PUSH IT JUST A LITTLE TO FAR. COPS THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY WEAR THAT SOOPED UP BADGE THEY GO INTO THIS POWER HUNGRY STAGE. IT'S WRONG. AND RAILFANS ARN'T JUST THE ONLY PROBLEM ALL BECAUSE OF TRESSPASSING. OH SURE! THE RAILFAN WAS IN THE WRONG,YES,HE WAS. BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVE THE RENT A COP TO GO AND ACT LIKE TOTAL JACKA**. IF YOU SEE A RAILFAN ON THE PROPERTY,GIVE HIM OR HER A WARNING. IF THEY DO IT AGAIN. THEN FINE HIM OR HER OR EVEN TAKE THEM TO JAIL. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. RAILFANNING IS AN ENJOYMENT,AND NOT TO BE HURASSED BY SOMEONE.

Allan, first off I never said you were attacking me. Secondly, you don't know that he is a "rent-a-cop". As far as we know he might have been with the Chicago PD. There is nothing on that videotape that suggests to me that the policeman was being "power-hungry as you say.

The rail fans were not supposed to be there, and the official was only doing his job.

BTW: Why are you "shouting" (in caps) on your posts?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by sd452

When one takes the time to read the original forum from the other site the author of the video admits that the video is edited and initially tries to put the blame for the incident on the railroad cop but when other forum participants started questioning his actions them decided to switch the blame to his father. This in itself is suspicious to me. I belive that the Author and the Father should have been more courtius to the officer, as in my personal experience being nice to a cop (without going to the extent of brownosing) goes a long way. I have been Stoped several times on railroad property in my local area ,infat in Neenah Wi some of the city cops know me by name for that reason, and have only been asked to remove myself and my property from the railroads property, one office even advised me of some public property where i could set up my camera and still get great pictures.

I wonder what their motive would be by doctoring that video?

[RRKen]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVE THE RENT A COP TO GO AND ACT LIKE TOTAL JACKA**. IF YOU SEE A RAILFAN ON THE PROPERTY,GIVE HIM OR HER A WARNING. IF THEY DO IT AGAIN. THEN FINE HIM OR HER OR EVEN TAKE THEM TO JAIL. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. RAILFANNING IS AN ENJOYMENT,AND NOT TO BE HURASSED BY SOMEONE.

Whoa, back up there. Most class one railroad police are not of the "rent a cop" variety, but fully commissioned law enforcement officers. They have multi-State juristications, and are authorized by FRA rules (CFR 49.207).

Again, this is private property, not open to the public. The railroads have been charged since 9/11 to tighten up security. This is a fact of life now whether you like it or not. The rules have changed. As far as I am concerned, there are still lots of places, especially where you live, to take photos and not be admonished. I go all over the countryside, and except for individual property owners, never get a second look. When I am on a foreign line, I get permission in a terminal or yard if I am not sure. Courtesy also goes a long way.

[tree68]

I still haven't watched the whole thing, but I took a cue from some comments on the doctoring/editing of the video, especially watching the trains in the background. The cuts between segments are very smooth, using fading. Since it probably would not serve the purpose of those who posted the video we've seen, I doubt we'll ever get a look at the whole, unedited version.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

MURRY. I PERSONALY AM "NOT" ATTACKING YOU AT ALL. I JUST CANNOT STAND A POWER HUNGRY COP. FOR ONE THING I DON'T GIVE A HOLY HOOT ANYMORE. AND ANOTHER THING. COPS PUSH IT JUST A LITTLE TO FAR. COPS THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY WEAR THAT SOOPED UP BADGE THEY GO INTO THIS POWER HUNGRY STAGE. IT'S WRONG. AND RAILFANS ARN'T JUST THE ONLY PROBLEM ALL BECAUSE OF TRESSPASSING. OH SURE! THE RAILFAN WAS IN THE WRONG,YES,HE WAS. BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVE THE RENT A COP TO GO AND ACT LIKE TOTAL JACKA**. IF YOU SEE A RAILFAN ON THE PROPERTY,GIVE HIM OR HER A WARNING. IF THEY DO IT AGAIN. THEN FINE HIM OR HER OR EVEN TAKE THEM TO JAIL. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. RAILFANNING IS AN ENJOYMENT,AND NOT TO BE HURASSED BY SOMEONE.

The warning you speak of is the NO TRESPASSING sign that's there in the first place, dude.

Yea and the English language is an enjoyment too, not to be butchered.

Scarf down some Ritalin, take a deep breath or two and relax.

Oh yea, hit the caps lock key.

[Anonymous]

OK ALOT OF YOU ARE CORRECT. IT IS TRESSPASSING. BUT AS A MATTER OF FACT,EVERYONE TRESSPASSES AND NOT JUST RAILFANS. IT SEEMS THE RAILROAD ONLY GOES AFTER RAILFANS AND NOT JUST OTHER TRESSPASSERS.
AND ALSO,ONE MORE THING......IM NOT SHOUTING. I LIKE TO USE UPPER CASE LETTERS. THE LOWER CASE ARE SOMETIMES HARD TO READ BECAUSE OF MY EYES. SO IM SORRY TO OTHERS ON THE FORUM. ALLAN.

[Dutchrailnut]

well your upper case sucks.
And only reason Cops like railfans is their dumb enough to stay in one location long enough to get caught.
Like this fater son team who probably were called in by about 5 crews.
You want a warning, the sign is the warning.
Now go get your eyes checked.

[RRKen]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

BUT AS A MATTER OF FACT,EVERYONE TRESSPASSES AND NOT JUST RAILFANS. IT SEEMS THE RAILROAD ONLY GOES AFTER RAILFANS AND NOT JUST OTHER TRESSPASSERS.

Let me offer this in response, some factual information.
Law enforcement representatives, working in conjunction with Union Pacific special agents in Oregon and Washington, recently issued 97 citations and 116 warnings to trespassers and motorists for highway-railroad grade crossing violations.

Then there is this:
It is dangerous and against the law,” said Dennis Jenson, general director-police operations at Union Pacific. Last year, more than 500 persons died while trespassing on railroad property throughout the United States.

And finally this:
In addition to the danger, trespassers are subject to arrest for violating trespasser laws, possibly facing time in jail or a fine. Railroad tracks are private property and trespassers can be prosecuted. More than 100,000 trespassers were removed by railroad police from UP property in 1997, according to Jenson. Union Pacific police evicted 46,479 trespassers from railroad property in 1999.

Since most railfans do not wear coats or t-shirts emblazoned with "Official Railfan Photographer" on their backs, the Gumshoes have no idea who you are, or what you are up to. Won't go into any detail since it matters little in this venue, but needless to say, I find the above quote, baseless and absurd.

[zgardner18]

Guys,

I sit here with my head in my hands thinking, "What is going on here?" If you remember I posted a thread a couple weeks ago about a security guard that told me to get a ticket of get off of his platform, and to not take pictures. As a law abiding (trying) citizen, I am starting to give up on that perfect picture of that perfect train just to put it on Railpictures.net who will probably not accept it anyways. I love trains but I don't like contention. I don't like the fact that every time I stop my truck and point my camera out the window; I'm a threat. I've just come to one conclusion, and that is to just ask for permission (if I can get it). If not then I'm just going to have to look with my eyes and hope to God that I don't forget what I saw. Now being 29 and having an almost 2 year old son, I feel bad for him and what he is going to miss. What's it going to be like when he gets to be my age? Probably get thrown in jail just for stopping. All I want to do is take pictures of trains; it’s what makes me happy.

[StillGrande]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RRKen
Since most railfans do not wear coats or t-shirts emblazoned with "Official Railfan Photographer" on their backs, the Gumshoes have no idea who you are, or what you are up to.

Shh. That is my million dollar idea. Hats, shirts and jackets (like the FBI ones on TV!) with OFFICIAL RAILFAN emblazened on them.

Might even do decoder rings for the kids! And nifty membership cards.

[88gta350]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

MURRY. I PERSONALY AM "NOT" ATTACKING YOU AT ALL. I JUST CANNOT STAND A POWER HUNGRY COP. FOR ONE THING I DON'T GIVE A HOLY HOOT ANYMORE. AND ANOTHER THING. COPS PUSH IT JUST A LITTLE TO FAR. COPS THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY WEAR THAT SOOPED UP BADGE THEY GO INTO THIS POWER HUNGRY STAGE. IT'S WRONG. AND RAILFANS ARN'T JUST THE ONLY PROBLEM ALL BECAUSE OF TRESSPASSING. OH SURE! THE RAILFAN WAS IN THE WRONG,YES,HE WAS. BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVE THE RENT A COP TO GO AND ACT LIKE TOTAL JACKA**. IF YOU SEE A RAILFAN ON THE PROPERTY,GIVE HIM OR HER A WARNING. IF THEY DO IT AGAIN. THEN FINE HIM OR HER OR EVEN TAKE THEM TO JAIL. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. RAILFANNING IS AN ENJOYMENT,AND NOT TO BE HURASSED BY SOMEONE.

Cops die every day protecting you and your family from the scum of the earth, so I suggest you take that soapbox you're on and shove it up your a$$. And kill the caps; it may be easy on your eyes but it's hard on everyone else. It's the equivilant of shouting and on most forums it's against the rules.

Railroad police officers are just that: police officers. They have full arrest powers, something a "rent a cop" doesn't have. Railfanning may be an enjoyment, but if you're breaking the law then that's all a cop sees and he won't give a flying hoot about your enjoyment. Cops are like everyone else, you're going to meet some easy going ones and you're going to meet some hard asses. Unless they're violating your rights, you've got to play along no matter how you're treated. With everything they see everyday, a little respect goes a long way. Shouting at the top of your lungs that they're pigs and just power hungry and out to get you and keep you from enjoying your hobby will get you nowhere.

I suggest you do some research before venting your frustrations here and check the attitude at the door.

[dekemd]

First off, I am a cop, so this is coming from a cop's point of view. The one thing I saw that the cop did wrong is he did not display his ID. I don't know how the laws are in Chicago, but in North Carolina if a cop must produce his police ID if requested. Not his badge, but his department issued ID card.

Second, let my tell you a story about an incident that I had last week. There is a business in my area that has several short slopes about 4 ft high that have been asphaulted. The skateboard crowd thinks that this is the best thing since sliced bread. The owner has repeatedly ran various skateboarders off the property. He now has a letter posted at the Sherifff's office stating that we have authority to run off anyone on the property that is trespassing. I cruised by there last week and sure enough there are about five or six skateboardes out there. I pull up and rolled the window down and called them over. I asked them what they were doing even though it was obvious (sound familiar). They said that they were just "boarding" as they put it. I then told them nicely that the property owner did not want anyone skateboarding on there and that they needed to move on. One of them said "But there's not any no trespassing signs." (Sound familiar). I told them that I understood that but that I am now telling them that they are indeed trespassing and they need to move on. Another one of them said "But we're not doing anything bad". (Sound familiar). Another said "Yeah, we're not hurting anything" (Sound familiar). I then proceed to tell them that the owner was afraid someone would be hurt and he would be liable, etc, etc. Their reply was "We're just skateboarding, it's not a big deal. We're not commiting some crime or something." (Sound familiar). After about 10 minutes, I'd had enough. I got out of the car and told them that they could either leave or go to jail for trespassing.(Sound familiar).

The point of all this is that there could be 10 minutes of the railroad cop being nice and trying to explain things to these railfans that got edited out. When the cop pulls up he doesn't sound angry. He asks them what their doing, how long they've been there, etc. After a few edits, he sounds like his patience is wearing thin. A cop is not going to stand there and debate with you all day. Trust me.

Finally, if I come up to you and ask you to do something and you tell me to shove it up my you know what. I can guarantee you that you're going to have a bad day. You can talk yourself into charges much easier than talking your way out of charges.

[emd_SD_60]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

I LIKE TO USE UPPER CASE LETTERS. THE LOWER CASE ARE SOMETIMES HARD TO READ BECAUSE OF MY EYES.

Ever think of getting reading glasses then?[%-)]

[Anonymous]

1. The rail fans were obvously trespassing
2. Trespassing is an arrestable offence
3. Persons found committing an offence must identify themselves on demand from a police officer.
4. If you don't argue with the RR cop, give your ID and ask where it's OK to take photos, there is rarely a problem.
5. This RR officer was not particularily proffessional but it seems the raifans were looking for an argument.
Stay off railroad property, when a cop, railroad or otherwise asks what you are doing and for your ID just politely give it to him. He is just doing what they pay him for.
Railroad Police Agencies depend on reports from employees and the public to apprehend thieves etc. They are also required to investigate all reported suspicious activity, even something as simply as photographers. All Railroad employees in North America are being consatntly reminded of the need for vigilance.