NCJ Number
177435
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: March 1999 Pages: 18-20-29
Date Published
1999
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article describes the work of marine (port), air, and school police units in jurisdictions throughout the United States.
Abstract
Port police patrol harbor areas to provide protection for port property and the people who use port facilities and environs. Some port police are an extension of the municipal police department, but in many areas port police are separate entities. This article describes the work of the port police in Seattle, Wash.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and the port district of the New York/New Jersey Port Authority. Airborne law enforcement is conducted by police officers who either double as pilots or serve as airborne officers with a civilian pilot. Some departments have their own airborne division, and others result from interagency efforts. The work of airborne units includes general patrol, surveillance, pursuit, the direction of ground officers, traffic law enforcement, and rescue. This article describes the work of the airborne units of the Maryland State Police, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Bernalillo County Metro Air Support Unit (New Mexico), and the Illinois State Troopers. A third specialized policing unit consists of school resource officers, who are responsible for providing a police presence in schools. These are not private security guards but sworn law enforcement officers. Officers not only patrol school buildings and grounds, they also interact with students and teach classes related to juvenile delinquency prevention. This article describes school- district policing in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Palm Beach County School District (Florida), and the Albuquerque School District (New Mexico). For each of the specialized units described in this article, a telephone number for recruitment information is provided.