NEW YORK — Amtrak will cut its police force by 20% over the next three years, the New York Post reports, a move its union president says “will jeopardize the safety and security for the passengers and employees.”
William Gonzalez, president of Amtrak’s Fraternal Order of Police, told the Post that Amtrak police chief Neil Trugman informed union officials the police department will be cut from 452 employees to 369 by 2022. Gonzalez says the union was told there would be no layoffs, but retirements alone could not account for the reduction, he said: “There’s no way they can reduce manpower without layoffs.”
Amtrak police respond to situations on trains and in stations, conduct police-dog screenings of baggage, and work with other law enforcement agencies on special events.
In a statement to the Post, an Amtrak spokesman said the passenger railroad is “currently evaluating the deployment of our Amtrak Police Department staff to ensure we have appropriate staffing levels for the safety and security of our customers as employees.” The railroad anticipates adjustments “including increasing the presence of officers on board trains.”
Welcome to the real world. I know of a Class-1 who has already done police force reductions , but their police officers are considered management. The railroad is making a lot of money, of course letting hundreds of employees go and still cutting more does make the bottom line look good.
I never once saw an amtrak cop in CUS nor in KCUS nor in Miami I only saw them in DC & Penn
I hope this isn’t an excuse to let the TSA in the back door. While the TSA does an important job my opinion is keep ’em in the airports where they belong.
Any Federal agency can develop a habit of trying to spread like a fungus trying to make themselves “indispenseable” if you let them, especially in this day and age.
Great. So employees and passengers get assaulted and they are going to reduce the police presence. They do have some dead wood; except for a couple of exceptions the APD in the S.F. Bay Area are useless. They hand out stickers to kids instead of do their job then tell us “it’s dangerous”. What the hell, you wear a vest and carry a collapsible baton, a taser and oh yeah, the 9 mil with two extra magazines. I’ve known guys that told me they walked into combat with less gear. This won’t make the donut shops happy.
This makes sense…as Dicky A. guts what is left and discontinues more and more trains and entire routes, you don’t need the police forces. Amtrak has become a continuing death by a thousand cuts…
Had an Amtrak officer on #80, Carolinian, last Saturday from Charlotte to Raleigh. First time in my 20+ years on #79 and 80 that I had ever seen that.
Booming economy and all Amtrak can do is cut.