What You'll Do

  • Patrol railroad yards, cars, stations, or other facilities to protect company property or shipments and to maintain order.
  • Examine credentials of unauthorized persons attempting to enter secured areas.
  • Apprehend or remove trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinate with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.
  • Prepare reports documenting investigation activities and results.
  • Investigate or direct investigations of freight theft, suspicious damage or loss of passengers' valuables, or other crimes on railroad property.
  • Direct security activities at derailments, fires, floods, or strikes involving railroad property.
  • Direct or coordinate the daily activities or training of security staff.
  • Interview neighbors, associates, or former employers of job applicants to verify personal references or to obtain work history data.
  • Plan or implement special safety or preventive programs, such as fire or accident prevention.
  • Monitor transit areas and conduct security checks to protect railroad properties, patrons, and employees.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 3.88/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.75/5
Monitoring 3.38/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.38/5
Writing 3.25/5
Active Learning 3.25/5
Coordination 3.25/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.25/5
Reading Comprehension 3.12/5
Negotiation 3.12/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Leader: Taking charge and moving ideas forward motivates you.

Common styles

Dependability, Stress Tolerance, Integrity, Self-Control, Cautiousness

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Problem Sensitivity 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Speech Clarity 3.88/5
Written Expression 3.75/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.75/5
Near Vision 3.75/5

Technologies & Tools

Crime mapping software Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System IAFIS Law enforcement information databases MapInfo Professional MapInfo StreetPro Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database SmugMug Flickr Web browser software

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Dependability (High importance: 4.95/5)
  • Stress Tolerance (High importance: 4.95/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.93/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 4.7/5)
  • Cautiousness (High importance: 4.62/5)

Want to see how YOUR strengths align with this career?

Take Free 15-Min Assessment →

How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Canine Officer (K-9 Officer) Field Training Advisor Field Training Agent Law Enforcement Officer Officer Patrol Man Patrol Officer Patroller Patrolman Police Captain Police Specialist Public Transit Specialist Railroad Detective Railroad Police Railroad Police Officer Railroad Safety Specialist Railroad Watchman Secured Entrance Monitor Track Patrol Track Watchman Transit Authority Police Transit Authority Police Officer Transit Officer Transit Police Officer Transit Specialist Transportation Officer Transportation Sergeant Unarmed Officer

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.