Submitted by PresidentBush2 t3_11axi1f in boston

I’ve always wondered about their history and objectives today (e.g. what prompted the MBTA to have its own police force?). Do they have any jurisdictional authority? Have they ever regularly rode subway cars instead of mostly just sit outside stations in their heated vehicles?

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Some_Ride1014 t1_j9uz6ez wrote

They have full jurisdiction in the 175 towns and cities that make up the the MBTA service area, on and off MBTA property. I have seen them pull cars over for traffic infractions in Boston.

That said they sleep. Made a food app delivery to there HQ, walked in and the Desk Sgt was sound asleep, sitting up in his chair, with arms crossed. I stood there for a few minutes waiting for customer to come to lobby. He never woke up

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_Hack_The_Planet_ t1_j9v8bnp wrote

> He never woke up

Narcolepsy is a reason to not hire someone in the first place, but the Union has a policy against firing someone for having a medical diagnosis of narcolepsy. It's the same with any union job. That's why he had a desk job and wasn't driving around.

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tobyhatesmemes2 t1_j9v8uek wrote

Everything you write is so absurdly idiotic that I’m now convinced it’s just bad, poor-taste satire.

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_Hack_The_Planet_ t1_j9va4n6 wrote

Everyone who disagrees with you and doesn't believe any made up narrative is dumber than you. That is my experience too. Welcome to the internet.

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Its_me_mikey t1_j9v8ucn wrote

One important thing they do is address people who wander onto tracks. Sometimes drunk or high but also suicidal people. If you see someone on the tracks call 617-222-1212.

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Icy-Neck-2422 t1_j9uoq0b wrote

They have to deal with those BC High hooligans we keep hearing about.

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ineedscissor t1_j9wqiv0 wrote

I got robbed once on the bus, and they were very helpful in insisting it was some kid who was much shorter then the guy who robbed me. Kept asking me if I was sure, that it sounded like this was the guy, etc…

Hope that kid didn’t get blamed by the next victim they pressured to id him

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senatorium t1_j9uu0ic wrote

They have a blog, if you want to follow some of their activity. http://www.tpdnews411.com/

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PresidentBush2 OP t1_j9v5h39 wrote

Great love blogs and the year 2004

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Rough-Jackfruit2306 t1_j9x1f0b wrote

If they had a fancy website you’d complain they paid too much. Shit is updated recently and works on my phone, it’s fine. Want the transit police to start dancing on tik tok to prove their worth or what?

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LordBawlmore t1_j9yh785 wrote

Speak for yourselves, I unironically love both blogs and the year 2004

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frankybling t1_j9xg5s0 wrote

I would love to be able to complain about T Cops dancing on TikTok

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rap202 t1_j9wt9p1 wrote

I checked out this blog. Looks like they do something worth writing about every two weeks

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Upper_Hold6426 t1_j9vqtfg wrote

Talk all the shit you want about transit police, but when the marathon bomber was sitting in a boat, the transit police were tasked to go in there and get him out. So we can all make jokes, but obviously some of them are highly trained and helped us during a time of crisis.

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ineedscissor t1_j9wrtuy wrote

Watertown was absolutely crawling with cops from many jurisdictions, federal, state and local that day. I think the shootout had university cops as well. The mbta cops were hardly the only people who were dealing with thay

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socialthrowaway87 t1_j9wncau wrote

I mean if it wasn’t them, I guarantee you another agency would have went and got them or had jurisdiction. They wouldn’t have been like welp, I guess he outsmarted us. I’d rather gut them, use the money to fund transit, and rely on local police. Another perk would be I wouldn’t have to watch the same one mad mug people going into my local station. I have yet to actually see them do anything useful personally. Just walk around. Once they were clearly looking for someone. Some are plain clothes though too so at least they have to enjoy the stink and suck with us.

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TheChickenWasDry t1_j9vhi3z wrote

Idk but I’m always happy to see them around DTX since that seems to be where a lot of random violence in the city is concentrated in

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nonades t1_j9unpyh wrote

Less than regular police

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Trpdoc t1_j9vexsv wrote

Much less but that’s not saying a whole lot lol

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simpletongue t1_j9yaz0b wrote

When I was assaulted on the green line the transit police were extremely helpful. They had a female cop drive me home to the suburbs so I wouldn't have to stay on the train. And they called me twice in the next 48 hours to see if I needed help accessing resources, navigating the system, etc.

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TheTr7nity t1_j9wkovg wrote

Behind the State Police, I think the MBTA Transit Police has the largest jurisdiction. They are responsible for anything MBTA but they can also pull you over for traffic stuff I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a transit cop riding the train, however, when I use to get off at Forest Hills, the transit cops I saw usually seemed busy.

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alohadave t1_j9wtht4 wrote

> They are responsible for anything MBTA but they can also pull you over for traffic stuff I guess.

They have full police powers in every city and town that the T operates in.

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throwaway5everr t1_j9x7wlr wrote

Oh boy. The time a younger dumber version of myself thought doing a wheelie past the transit cop would be good GoPro footage. It was instead a fairly expensive ticket and tow 🤣

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IDrinkSaladDressing t1_j9y4677 wrote

I could be completely wrong, but I think the environmental police actually have the most jurisdiction

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dirtnasty1312 t1_j9y44f6 wrote

They stand around together in front of train stations and chew the fat…so essentially they do nothing…wasted tax money imo

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Bluestrues t1_j9v6fmn wrote

I believe they have more jurisdiction than any other police force but not payed as well as the others

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LadyGreyIcedTea t1_ja586gm wrote

A co-worker's spouse is an MBTA policeman. I know he often signs up to work the Gillette train on Patriots game days or during certain concerts. They ride the train and then "police" a certain section of the stadium.

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BeansWest t1_j9yuoq3 wrote

They take k-turns in the middle of Centre St in JP then scream at you when you get closer to them because you think they're turning onto a side street like a normal person.

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M_Shulman t1_j9ws2t0 wrote

They walk the T parking lots and tow vehicles with expired reg… got me once 10 days after it expired… had to call 3 different numbers to find my car.

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willzyx01 t1_j9umhg1 wrote

They transit

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Trpdoc t1_j9vej06 wrote

They’re useless

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downthewell62 t1_j9w0dis wrote

Escort Nazis from the mbta to the hospitals they protest

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wlutz83 t1_j9v0tez wrote

mostly harm

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West_Map_8083 t1_j9v3ldy wrote

They babysit homeless people and that’s just about it.

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biddily t1_j9us21z wrote

I've seen them around when the fencing around the tracks gets stolen.

Considering how often the fences get stolen they suck at their job.

I've seen them set up and demand to do 'bag checks' of everyone entering a downtown station but lol, the stations are all to close, we all just walk to the next station. Fuck you not-cop.

Supposedly, SUPPOSEDLY, there's some funky agreements between the city and the T about some parks that align the tracks. The T has to maintain them or some shit, so the T-police have to show up when something happens at those parks. It's weird.

Also. Track bridges. Sigh. The road below the bridge is joint property, so if something happens below the bridge T police has to show up. A car hits the bridge? T-police. Homeless people under there? T-police. Paint dicks to try and get the sidewalk fixed cause the T, city and DCR won't take ownership? T-police.

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Phat_Irish t1_j9xquw3 wrote

Ok, so they have a job they have to do and you’re just shutting on them and getting downvoted. You sound like a total dick, actually. Type of guy that probably looks down on service staff etc. as well I’m guessing.

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biddily t1_j9zo4ik wrote

mmmm. yes. same thing.

Being frustrated that the fences around the tracks keep getting stolen and its SUPER dangerous because its also adjacent to a park and an elementary school. Being peeved at T-station bag-checks cause I don't want people looking through my bag. Being aware when the T police show up at the park next to the track and train bridge by my house. Quietly going along with everything and just making comments about it here. TOTALLY the same thing as a complete dick.

Yeah. they have a job to do. They do things. I'm not shitting on them. Im commenting about them. Things they do outside of the normal train stuff.

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smokesmokesmokes t1_j9uwvyq wrote

They pepper spray me once every five years or so. Last time I was trying to take the bay out of back.

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jojenns t1_j9un9k8 wrote

The T travels between towns so the T police have jurisdiction on any crimes committed on T property. The are a number of assaults on the T daily they handle all of those. They do sometimes ride the T in plain clothes but not in uniform. There is no appetite for the T police to ride in uniform some people consider that in itself violence.

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PresidentBush2 OP t1_j9uqh58 wrote

I disagree quite a bit about the last part.

Source: person who rides the T every day.

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jojenns t1_j9us89v wrote

They are riding in uniform again?

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Anustart15 t1_j9v5bwg wrote

I assumed they meant the part about there being no appetite for them to be there

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muddymoose t1_j9v3mih wrote

I've never seen any actually ride. Definitely bodies inside the station sometimes though. Most of the time chilling in their running SUV's

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alohadave t1_j9wtpwv wrote

> the T police have jurisdiction on any crimes committed on T property.

They have full police powers in every city and town that T operates in.

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DumbshitOnTheRight t1_j9unmzg wrote

Annoy the homeless from my observations.

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Coggs362 t1_j9uuhbb wrote

Yes, and.

Last month a traveler got stabbed in South Station men's room. So sometimes their presence is justified. Normally not a fan of the MBTA police, otherwise.

Not sure why you got the downvotes.

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Anustart15 t1_j9v5mg5 wrote

>Not sure why you got the downvotes.

Probably from people that have been harassed by the problem homeless that they would have loved to have already had been removed by transit police

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Coggs362 t1_j9v6khx wrote

Fair enough. Like I was explaining to an irate fellow commuter couple months back about that - this is the symptoms of a society that allowed the Opioid Crisis, and didn't place a serious commitment to mental health. (obviously there's a whole cocktail of contributing factors, but those seem the top two).

I deal with the homeless pretty much daily coming and going through there. I don't like it anymore than anyone else.

It's a goddamn shame, but the real solutions apparently are out of reach of our state and city officials, no?

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jojenns t1_j9vgvmz wrote

So in the interim what do you want T police to do with the homeless who are harassing people?

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