About This Career

Protects and polices railroad and transit property, employees, or passengers.

This career is part of the Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security cluster Law Enforcement Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Prepares reports documenting investigation activities and results.
• Monitors transit areas and conducts security checks to protect railroad properties, patrons, and employees.
• Apprehends or removes trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinates with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.
• Directs security activities at derailments, fires, floods, or strikes involving railroad property.
• Patrols railroad yards, cars, stations, or other facilities to protect company property or shipments and to maintain order.
• Investigates or directs investigations of freight theft, suspicious damage or loss of passengers' valuables, or other crimes on railroad property.
• Examines credentials of unauthorized persons attempting to enter secured areas.
• Enforces traffic laws regarding the transit system and reprimands individuals who violate them.
• Provides training to the public or law enforcement personnel in railroad safety or security.
• Plans or implements special safety or preventive programs, such as fire or accident prevention.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would sit most of the time. There's some walking and standing. You may have to lift and carry things like books, papers or tools weighing 10 lbs. or less.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Exposed to conditions such as high voltage electricity, combustibles, explosives, and chemicals more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Short periods of running, jumping, or throwing
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work