
Amtrak police use of passenger data - CapitalistCartr
http://papersplease.org/wp/2015/03/20/amtrak-lies-about-police-use-of-passenger-data/
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smutticus
I had a strange run in with Amtrak police once.

My wife and I reserved a cabin car for a long trip from Oakland to Denver.
After entering the cabin in Oakland there was a knock on our door. I opened
the door and a man identified himself as Amtrak police and asked me if a bag
he was holding was ours. He was dressed like a normal passenger, undercover.
He had a badge which he briefly flashed and then immediately asked me if this
bag was ours. He jammed himself into the door and showed the badge in such a
way that I could not close the door, and his badge was not visible to people
in the hallway.

It wasn't and I had never seen it before, so we said no. He went away. Later
he came back and asked the same question again. This time I was sick of him
and told him to leave us alone, and that it wasn't our bag. He left us alone
after that.

Prior to this I had no idea Amtrak police even existed. The guy was a jerk and
was clearly trying to get us to admit to owning this bag. I have no idea why,
but but I do regret not getting a better look at his badge. It could have been
some plastic kids badge for the amount of time he showed it to me.

~~~
detcader
I've heard every LIRR train has at least a couple of state(?) police on it at
all times. This is very much hearsay, but if it's true it may be a condition
on many other train lines as well.

In the middle of a ride once, the train stopped because of some investigation
and all passengers had to exit. Before/as this happened I saw at least two
state troopers walking through my car to another car; while they could have
gotten on the train at a station, I believe they were already on the train...

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shiggerino
>Amtrak Police

That's just bizarre. Companies with their own police force. I was also
surprised to see many American universities have police forces.

In many countries that would be considered a major abuse of power, never mind
whether the companies are owned by the government or private investors.

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lukeqsee
> many American universities have police forces

I attended a small private university (in the news recently, for the wrong
reasons), and their "police" (aka public safety) force was almost completely
on a power trip. I once was asked if they could search my car (with zero due
cause), to which I refused. The "officer" verbally escalated the situation
until it was obvious he was going to "search" my car or cause me significant
problems. I acquiesced. I was later questioned by administrative authority why
I refused and my refusal was used as leverage.

Let's leave policing to police.

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sdoering
> my refusal was used as leverage

What happened to:

"The law presumes all innocent of crime until proven guilty." (Source: Law
Reports of the Supreme Court of Ohio, 1835)

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TeMPOraL
"Terrorism" happened. And all the liberties went under the bus.

~~~
ptaipale
I'm under the impression that campus police departments were mostly set up by
late 1960's, and that is when they established their current ways of working.

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mixmastamyk
Does anyone have information on how or if it is possible to refuse giving ID
to Amtrak and still get tickets?

This was a big problem for me a few years ago... my drivers license expired.
While I waited for the new one in the mail, I decided to take the train
instead. They gave me a lot of shit, and I'd rather have told them that what
they were asking was illegal.

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chimeracoder
> Does anyone have information on how or if it is possible to refuse giving ID
> to Amtrak and still get tickets?

Oddly, I can't remember anyone ever asking me for my ID on the train - just
the ticket. And if you purchase the ticket online, you can print it out either
at home or at a kiosk with just the credit card or confirmation number.

> what they were asking was illegal.

Are you sure it is? They're a private company - on what basis is it illegal?

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schoen
It might be different between the Northeast Corridor and other Amtrak routes;
I remember when they introduced the ID requirement a few years ago it was
somehow rolled out more thoroughly on the Northeast Corridor. (I think I may
have been asked for ID on the Lake Shore Limited and not on the Capitol
Corridor.)

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desigooner
I don't recollect being asked for my ID while riding Amtrak on the Northeast
Corridor in the last 2 years. I don't even print the stubs anymore - I just
use the Amtrak app / Passbook on my phone to display my ticket.

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tcas
Same here -- I take the NEC every month or so and have never been asked for my
ID in around 3 years.

I was once asked for my AAA card when using that discount on the regional, but
even that is extremely rare.

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mixmastamyk
It's not asked on the train, it's asked when you buy the ticket at the window.
If you use your CC, they then have id info presumably.

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616c
Another anecdote to throw in. I have travelled the world round, and not once
in my many college DC-NYC Amtrak trips, before, during, and after ID and bag
check requirements get checked. This over the course of 4 years of college and
working in the Beltway area with at least one trip a year.

I expected more serious, but security was as strict as a DC-NYC Chinatown bus.

To quote Saturday Night Live: "Amtrak, the only way to travel ... when you
smoke weed!"

[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/04/04fupdate.phtml](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/04/04fupdate.phtml)

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uptown
They also bleed taxpayer money each time a traveler orders a hamburger:

[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/us/politics/amtrak-
lost-83...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/us/politics/amtrak-
lost-834-million-on-food-in-last-decade-audit-finds.html)

