Transit and Railroad Police

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Investigate or direct investigations of freight theft, suspicious damage or loss of passengers' valuables, or other crimes on railroad property.
• Patrol railroad yards, cars, stations, or other facilities to protect company property or shipments and to maintain order.
• Apprehend or remove trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinate with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.
• Plan or implement special safety or preventive programs, such as fire or accident prevention.
• Direct or coordinate the daily activities or training of security staff.
• Apprehend or remove trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinate with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.
• Examine credentials of unauthorized persons attempting to enter secured areas.
• Enforce traffic laws regarding the transit system and reprimand individuals who violate them.
• Prepare reports documenting investigation activities and results.
• Investigate or direct investigations of freight theft, suspicious damage or loss of passengers' valuables, or other crimes on railroad property.
• Direct security activities at derailments, fires, floods, or strikes involving railroad property.
• Provide training to the public or law enforcement personnel in railroad safety or security.
• Plan or implement special safety or preventive programs, such as fire or accident prevention.
• Interview neighbors, associates, or former employers of job applicants to verify personal references or to obtain work history data.
• Monitor transit areas and conduct security checks to protect railroad properties, patrons, and employees.

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.

Abilities

• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.

Knowledge

• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

U.S. Annual Salary

82320/yr

U.S. Hourly Wage

39.58/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

20

Yearly Projected Openings

0

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Adaptability
• Stress Tolerance
• Self-Control
• Cautiousness
• Integrity
• Attention to Detail

Tools

• Alcohol analyzers
• Digital camcorders or video cameras
• Digital cameras
• Fingerprint equipment
• Fingerprint latent print kits
• Fire extinguishers
• Hand sprayers
• Handcuffs
• Handguns
• Hazardous material protective apparel
• Masks or accessories
• Measuring wheels for distance
• Military rifles
• Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
• Mobile medical services first aid kits
• Mobile resuscitator or aspirator kits
• Night sticks
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Police or security shotguns
• Police vehicles
• Protective gloves
• Radiation detectors
• Riot batons
• Riot helmets
• Still cameras
• Tape measures
• Two way radios
• Weapon or explosives detectors and supplies
• X ray radiography examination equipment

Technology

• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Internet browser software
• Map creation software
• Office suite software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Web platform development software
• Word processing software