Abbreviation MTAP Employees 230 | Formed 1971 Operations jurisdiction* State of Maryland, USA | |
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency General nature Law enforcement
Civilian police | ||
The Maryland Transit Administration Police (MTA Police) is the law enforcement branch of the Maryland Transit Administration directed to patrol public transportation and related facilities in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Officers are certified by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission and have full police powers. In 2015 and 2016 MTA Police were awarded the APTA Gold Safety Award. The MTA Police had the lowest Part One crime reported for 2015 & 2016 among the top twelve transit agencies in the country. They reported no homicides, no shootings or rapes for those two years.
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The current chief of police is Colonel John E. Gavrilis. Deputy Chief of Police is Lieutenant Colonel Fred Damron JR. Commander of Operations is Major Jerome Howard. District commanders are Captain Theodore McLaughlin (Southern District), Captain Robert Rosendale (Northern District), Captain Timothy Perry (Administrative Bureau), Captain Burna McCullom (Technical Services), Captain Robert Stanley, Executive Officer, Director of Homeland Security and Captain Kelly Holman (Special Operations).
History
The department was founded on October 1, 1971, by act of the Maryland State Legislature as the Mass Transit Administration Police Force. On October 1, 2001, when the Mass Transit Administration was renamed the Maryland Transit Administration, the police force changed its name to reflect the change.
Fleet
The primary patrol vehicle of the department is the Ford Police Interceptor. The prisoner transport vehicles are Chevrolet vans. Harley Davidson motorcycles are currently used. Current markings are all black vehicles with yellow lettering stating transit police. Towards the front of the vehicle is the department's uniform patch and at the rear is the Maryland Transit Administration logo. Light bars are red and blue rotating lights or LED lights, though some vehicles have strobe lights incorporated into the design.
Weapons
Officers are each issued a SIG Sauer P226 .40 caliber pistol, pepper spray, TASER and an ASP baton.