InterceptRadio.com Forums

I may have heard wrong, but was home today studying for my amateur license and I heard Union Pacific 536 making a traffic stop in Seattle. Do they also use WSP Freqs?

sure it wasn't a plate that was being read? :)

_________________
If I had an antenna, I would; but I can only transmit on 160 meters.
_____
DE K7MHI

Railroad Police have historically had a very large amount of "police authority". With the present level of national security -- any security to transportation related assets would be expected to have some level of "interoperbility" with State Police. Seattle PD and King County have allowed Railroad Police access to their radio systems in the past. Big bucks are being spent to upgrade just about every port along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have new updated UHF radio systems in P25 operation.

I've heard BNSF Police down here a few times being called on one of their MRAS channels a few times; I remember Canadian Pacific in New York they used AAR 38 time to time for various activities.

_________________
Mt Wave SAR member
Support Search & Rescue: Get Lost!
http://www.mwave.org

Heard them come up on Spokane area as well. Rarely though.
I've also heard, for some reason, a certain member of a certain fire district come up on WSP Spokane and be the almighty supreme commander.

_________________
</>

And the District number would be? I don't know why they would come up on Area as most of them have LERN in their radios!

Yea, the union pacific guy came up and pulled someone over near boeing field, then arrested them and took them to the port.... along with a state trooper. First time I'd ever heard one on the state patrol freqs though. Also heard DNR on Everett WSP freq tonight as well....

You know, I can't see where UP even has lines into Washington state on the few railroad maps I have. He COULD be up there as an UP Special Agent investigating and hunting down someone involved in a crime against UP property.

_________________
Mt Wave SAR member
Support Search & Rescue: Get Lost!
http://www.mwave.org

I think it was something else that was heard.

UP Tracks begin at "Reservation" by the Puyallup river bridge as seen from I-5 and extend northward to S Seattle (Argo Yard)

"Section 1704 of the U.S. Crime Control Act of 1990, provides that: "A railroad police officer who is certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of any one state shall, in accordance with the regulations issued by the U. S. Secretary of Transportation, be authorized to enforce the laws of any other state in which the rail carrier owns property."

It is important to note that Section 1704 also states that this police authority is to "the extent of the authority of a police officer certified or commissioned under the laws of that jurisdiction". While a railroad police officer may have general peace officer authority in some states such as California, they are limited to the railroad's property in other states."

Which is pretty much the case here.

_________________
"I was installing un-programmed radios"

District ten probably, I-90 @ MP 262.
The WSP comms person sounded annoyed, I wouldn't be surprised if a 'memo' was floated down.

_________________
</>

UP runs trains from portland to (Argo) Seattle and some in eastern wa. Does anyone know how the railroad police are dispatched? Or what freq. they use?

Since Nextel and cell phones in general, not much is heard from these creosote centurions. In Portlandia, they have a tg on some of the 800 systems (not sure if they are even used) and one on UP' VHF P25 yard system. They are pretty much like the police of old, where they wouldn't necessarily make radio contact when out with someone, they are trained to work alone with some pretty unsavory folk, like railfans.

_________________
"I was installing un-programmed radios"

I would venture to guess if Railroad Police were using WSP freqs they would be identified as a "J" unit, which is WSP's catch-all for other law enforcement agencies on their net. I remember when the FBI in Everett would occassionally come up on the net ("J-27"?) in the 80's.

_________________
"Lawyers, Guns and Money"

I know BNSF police run anywhere from 250-500+ miles a day, and I've only seen railroad radios and satphones hardmounted in their rigs.

_________________
President-in-Exile, Seattle Area Radio Communications And Scanner Traffic Intercept Crew (SARCASTIC)
Don't feel bad if you can't use your STD100/200; there are still people using Digital Frequency Search!
Bunnery definition for the under-fives

I know for a fact that an agreement exists for Spokane County Sheriff and Spokane Police to use WSP area frequency. The agreement is something that is not handed out every day. Had not heard about the fire districts. The fire radios we have worked on up there have WSP as receive only.

_________________
Spectrum Communications, Inc.
526 S Locust Lane
Moses Lake, WA 98837

- - - - -
Kenwood/Relm-BK/Vertex-Standard/David Clark/USAlert/Swissphone. Serving You Since 1978!
- - - - -
http://www.scml.us
http://www.insp.com
- - - - -