Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Transit Police
Encyclopedia
SEPTA Transit Police is an American
law enforcement agency which is responsible for policing the mass transit system that is operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and the adjacent suburban counties of Delaware, Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks in Pennsylvania. SEPTA also operates transit routes that extend into the states of New Jersey and Delaware.
The SEPTA Transit Police Department was created in 1981 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly (the state legislature). Although the Philadelphia Police Department
maintained a transit unit with officers assigned to patrol in the subway concourses, these officers were primarily located in the center city (downtown) area. It was determined that by creating its own dedicated police force, SEPTA would be able to deal more directly with rising crime throughout its system. Another reason for determining that SEPTA needed its own police force, was because the portable radios the city's police officers used did not always operate properly in the subway tunnels. As a result, they could not be depended on if an officer had to pursue a suspect through the tunnel area, or otherwise needed assistance. This problem still exists today, although recent efforts have been made to address the issue.
SEPTA Transit Police officers attend the Philadelphia Police Academy, and receive the same training as their municipal counterparts. They are commissioned by the governor of Pennsylvania, are armed, and exercise the same authority as a Philadelphia Police officer while on or around SEPTA property in Philadelphia. They also have enforcement authority elsewhere in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, while in the pursuit of official transportation authority business. The SEPTA police department has been able to reduce serious crime on its system by 90 percent, since 1990, when it implemented a zone policing strategy, where officers are permanently assigned to specific 'zones' throughout the subway system. The SEPTA Transit Police also utilize a number of special units that augment its regular patrol division. These include bike patrol; K-9 teams; S.O.R.T. (Special Operations Response Teams); A.C.T. (plainclothes anti-crime teams); as well as a community affairs unit, that works to educate the riding public about various crime prevention issues. It also participates in various community based events, in an effort to help build a positive relationship with SEPTA passengers, and the general public.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
law enforcement agency which is responsible for policing the mass transit system that is operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and the adjacent suburban counties of Delaware, Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks in Pennsylvania. SEPTA also operates transit routes that extend into the states of New Jersey and Delaware.
The SEPTA Transit Police Department was created in 1981 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly (the state legislature). Although the Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia Police Department
The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
maintained a transit unit with officers assigned to patrol in the subway concourses, these officers were primarily located in the center city (downtown) area. It was determined that by creating its own dedicated police force, SEPTA would be able to deal more directly with rising crime throughout its system. Another reason for determining that SEPTA needed its own police force, was because the portable radios the city's police officers used did not always operate properly in the subway tunnels. As a result, they could not be depended on if an officer had to pursue a suspect through the tunnel area, or otherwise needed assistance. This problem still exists today, although recent efforts have been made to address the issue.
SEPTA Transit Police officers attend the Philadelphia Police Academy, and receive the same training as their municipal counterparts. They are commissioned by the governor of Pennsylvania, are armed, and exercise the same authority as a Philadelphia Police officer while on or around SEPTA property in Philadelphia. They also have enforcement authority elsewhere in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, while in the pursuit of official transportation authority business. The SEPTA police department has been able to reduce serious crime on its system by 90 percent, since 1990, when it implemented a zone policing strategy, where officers are permanently assigned to specific 'zones' throughout the subway system. The SEPTA Transit Police also utilize a number of special units that augment its regular patrol division. These include bike patrol; K-9 teams; S.O.R.T. (Special Operations Response Teams); A.C.T. (plainclothes anti-crime teams); as well as a community affairs unit, that works to educate the riding public about various crime prevention issues. It also participates in various community based events, in an effort to help build a positive relationship with SEPTA passengers, and the general public.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Transit Police, 1 officer has died in the line of duty.| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Thomas F. Sewell | |
Stabbed |