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Maryland Department of State Police

Railroad Police Officer License

A railroad police officer, appointed by the Governor, serves as a police officer for a railroad company. Every railroad company located wholly or partly in the State may apply for the appointment of railroad police officers. Their duties include the following:

  • Protect property, patrons, passengers, tenants, employees, equipment, and services.
  • Preserve peace and order on railroad premises, easements, appurtenant property, trains, cars, and other vehicles.

Application process changes/updates

​​January 2025 - All Professional Licensing applications are converted from a paper application submission process and fee collection to an electronic submission and fee collection process in the Licensing Portal.​

Qualifications for Railroad Police Officer appointment

A railroad company may apply to have someone appointed as a railroad police officer if they are:

  • At least 21 years old;
  • Are of good moral character, with no convictions for felonies or misdemeanors involving moral turpitude; and
  • Have met all the educational and training requirements required by the Police Training Commission; or
  • Was a full-time police officer employed by a railroad company on July 1, 1979.

Pre-application requirements

  • Submit Livescan fingerprints to the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) and the FBI. Authorized LiveScan vendors can be found at Fingerprinting Services. Below is the information that you will need to provide to the LiveScan technician for fingerprinting: 

    • Agency Authorization Number: 9400082506
      Agency ORI Number: MDMSP6000
      Reason Fingerprinted: MD Public Safety Article, Section 3-304 through 3-316

Livescan fingerprints are only valid for 30 days from the date that they were submitted to CJIS and the FBI. Your Railroad Police application must be submitted to the Maryland State Police within this 30-day period or new Livescan fingerprints will be required.

Applicants must sign and date the FBI Privacy Act Statement - PDF - 620.12 KB before submitting their fingerprints.​

  • A digital  color passport style photograph taken within 30 days prior to the date that you submit the application.
  • Proof of satisfactory completion of all educational and training requirements per the Police Training & Standards Commission.

How to apply

  1. Create or log into your existing Licensing Portal account.
  2. Complete all Railroad Police application requirements.
  3. Upload the pre-application requirements and any additional documentation to the document section of the application.
  4. Submit the application and the application fee.
  5. The Licensing Division will review your application for completion, complete a background investigation, which may require an interview, and forward a recommendation to the Governor for a final decision.
  6. If the commission is approved:
    1. the Railroad Police Officer applicant will be required to take the oath required by Article I, § 9 of the Maryland Constitution before the clerk of the court where the appointment is received;
    2. submit a signed copy of the District Court Special Police Officer Certificate to the Licensing Division; and
    3. the Licensing Division will print and send, via US mail, the Special Police Officer certification card to the Railroad Police Officer's employer within 14 days.
  7. If your application is disapproved, you’ll need to contact the Licensing Division for more information.

Please allow 90 business days for completion of the application process.

Security Systems Agency License

Renewal

There is no renewal. The railroad police officer appointment remains valid until:

  • The railroad company terminates your employment, or
  • The Governor revokes the appointment for cause.

When your employment ends, due to retirement, resignation, or termination, the railroad company must notify the Governor within 10 days. From that point forward, the officer’s powers immediately end. 

Required training

Railroad Police officers are required to meet the Police Training & Standards Commission in-service training requirements to maintain law enforcement credentials.

Application fees

Acceptable methods of payment include Visa or MasterCard. Application​ fees are non-refundable.

All application fees are collected electronically in the Licensing Portal. Application fees do not include fingerprint fees. 

  • Original / Initial: $160.00

Application timeline

  • Applicant: Once the above pre-application requirements have been satisfied, the initial application can be completed within 45-60 minutes. Renewal applications can be completed within 20-30 minutes.
  • Licensing Division Processing Time: Once the completed application and the required fees are received, the applicant will be notified of the decision within 90 days.
  • Incomplete Applications: Applications received by the Licensing Division will be reviewed for completeness​ within 5-10 business ​days. Applicants who submitted incomplete applications will be notified via email within 5 business days of the review. Failure to respond within 15 days will result in the application being cancelled.

Statutes

The Maryland Railroad Police Officers Act is codified in Title 3, Subtitle 4 of the Public Safety Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Current versions of any statute can be found at LexisNexis or on the Maryland General Assembly's website.

Advisories & Documents

Visit the archive section to download any prior Advisories and documents.

Questions?