Special police

Special police usually describes a police force or unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or from other police in the same force, although there is no consistent international definition. A special constable, in most cases, is not a member of a special police force (SPF); in countries in the Commonwealth of Nations and often elsewhere, a special constable is a voluntary or part-time member of a national or local police force or a person involved in law enforcement who is not a police officer but has some of the powers of a police officer.

Australia

A Special Police van in New South Wales.

Australian police forces have a unit which carries out high risk jobs. They use heavier fire power and better vehicles. They go by different names: Special Tasks and Rescue group, Security Response Section and Special Operations Group.

Canada

"Special police" is not a term used in Canada. The closest term used is Special Constables, which exist in several forms with various degrees of Peace Officer powers according to their duties and employers (most government).

In general, Special Constables do not carry firearms, but may employ other equipment for protection.

China

In the People's Republic of China, the Special Police Units are the local equivalent of the U.S. SWAT teams. They are tasked with duties that normal patrol officers are not sufficiently equipped to handle, such as riot control and hostage situations. In addition, the Beijing Special Weapons and Tactics Unit and Snow Leopard Commando Unit also fulfill different duties.

Croatia

ATJ Lučko

In Croatia, Special Police serve as special operations forces trained primarily for anti-terrorism operations. Unlike many western SWAT teams, Croatian Special Police officers are full-time, professional operators with no secondary duties. A total of four Special Police units exist in cities of Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb covering their respective regions. A fifth and most elite unit, ATJ Lučko is stationed in Zagreb and has jurisdiction over the entire country.

Former Yugoslavia

Special police of North Macedonia

The Special Police were a branch of the Regular Police who were used for restoring peace and stability if it had been heavily disturbed, counter-terrorism, countering violent groups, and repressing riots (especially in prisons). The Special Police also provided security and public peace, investigated and prevented organized crime, terrorism and other violent groups; protected state and private property; and helped and assisted civilians and other emergency forces in cases of emergency, natural disasters, civil unrest and armed conflicts.

Greece

Eidiki Katastaltiki Antitromokratiki Monada or EKAM (Special Anti-Terrorist Unit), was created in 1978 and became part of the Hellenic Police. ΕΚΑΜ operators take orders only from the General of the Hellenic Police. The unit and its operators protect the Greek citizens from acts of terrorism, including but not limited to bombings, kidnappings and hijackings.

Hong Kong

Main articles: Special Duties Unit, Counter Terrorism Response Unit, Airport Security Unit (Hong Kong), Maritime Emergency Response Team, Maritime Emergency Response Team, Railway Response Team, Surveillance Support Unit, Very Important Person Protection Unit, and Witness Protection Unit

Hong Kong has a number of special units.

Indonesia

Special police in Indonesia locally known as Kepolisian Khusus, refer to law enforcement agencies outside Indonesian National Police, which perform policing duties for a certain public service, these law enforcement agencies are under supervision and are trained by the National Police. Special police in Indonesia are Agricultural and Animal Quarantine Police, Forestry Police, Municipal Police, Prison Police, Railroad Police and Special Police for Management of Marine, Coastal Region and Remote Islands.

Indonesian National Police also have their own special police units, which are:

• Mobile Brigade Corps also known as "BRIMOB" is the Special Operations Force, Police Commandos, Special Response team, Paramilitary, and riot control unit of the National Police Force of Indonesia (POLRI).
  • GEGANA is an internal special unit of "BRIMOB" which conducts mainly on bomb disposal and counter-terrorist operations. It also specializes in the field of handling of chemical, biological, and radiological threats.
• DENSUS 88 / Detasmen Khusus 88 translated as ("Detachment 88") is the special counter-terrorism force of the Indonesian National Police.

Ireland

Units of Ireland's national police force, the Garda Síochána, which have specialist areas of responsibility include the Garda Crime & Security Branch, Garda Special Detective Unit, Garda Emergency Response Unit, Garda National Surveillance Unit, and Garda Armed Support Units.

Other specialist policing units in Ireland include the Airport Police Service, Dublin Harbour Police, Dún Laoghaire Harbour Police and Military Police Corps.

Israel

Yamam, a special operations unit of the Israel Border Police

Many functions ordinarily taken by special police units, are also taken by the Israeli special forces units.

• Yamam, one of the four special operations units of the Israel Border Police
• Yamas, special operations unit of the Israel Border Police, directly subordinate to Shin Bet

Italy

• Gruppo di Intervento Speciale
• Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza
• Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale

Malaysia

Malaysian PGK A operatives moving crosshairs during the Close Quarters Combat drill at the killing house before raid. The first operative is equipped with Tactical Shield. Taken at the PGK A Special Operations Killing House in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur.

Officers from the Special Actions Unit on the Rapid Intervention Vehicle at the Sultan Abdul Samad Street for the 2015 National Day Parade in Kuala Lumpur, donning the new Marine Ops Core tactical helmets and new Ferfrans SOAR carbines.

• Malaysian Special Operations Force
• Pasukan Gerakan Khas
• Special Actions Unit

New Zealand

"Special Police" is a term actively used in New Zealand. Aside from the New Zealand Police, special powers are derived in legislation for customs officers, Fisheries Officers, and also Fire Police. The Fire Police hold the full legal powers of a Police Constable when on official duty; Customs Officers, Fishery Officers, Aviation Security Officers, have limited powers (including the power to arrest or detain) in particular circumstances.

Sri Lanka

The Special Task Force is a special police unit that is somewhat equal to the US SWAT teams, however they have broader responsibilities such as Counter-Terrorism, VVIP protection, bomb and EID disposal, etc.

Sweden

• Nationella Insatsstyrkan
• Piketen

Taiwan

Special police in Republic of China (Taiwan) includes Thunder Squad of municipal governments (local police departments), Peace Enforcing Special Service Forces aka "Wei-An" Forces of Ministry of the Interior, and Military Police Special Services Company Code-named Night Hawk of Ministry of National Defense.

The 7th Special Police was a unit of the National Police Agency and later evolved into what is now the Republic of China Coast Guard.

Turkey

• Police Special Operation Department
• Gendarmerie Special Operations
• Gendarmerie Special Public Security Command
• Maritime Search and Security Operations Team

Northern Cyprus

• TRNC Special Operation Department

United Kingdom

Further information: List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom § Special police forces, and List of police forces of the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, special police force has a special meaning in law and describes one of the forces defined as such in legislation including:

• Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
• Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006
• Police and Justice Act 2006

These are managed by government departments other than the Home Office, and have duties and responsibilities associated with particular legal or illegal activities rather than the geographical areas which are served by a single territorial police force.

There are three such forces:

• British Transport Police: Responsible for policing the rail network in Great Britain.
• Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Non-military nuclear installations and non-military nuclear material in transit.
• Ministry of Defence Police: Ministry of Defence property, personnel, other defence interests, UK nuclear weapons and special nuclear materials.

The National Crime Agency (whose full powers are limited to England and Wales) is not a police force but an agency responsible to a Secretary of State; however, officers are 'triple warranted' – with powers of a police officer, immigration officer and customs officer.

United States

In United States terminology, special police can mean:

• Auxiliary police, members of volunteer, unpaid or paid, part-time civilian police, security officer units, interns;
• Company police;
• Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT);
• Security police; or
• Special Law Enforcement Officers/ Special Jurisdiction Law Enforcement – used in New Jersey to supplement full-time police officers;

The term can also refer to limited police power granted in some jurisdictions to lifeguards, SPCA personnel, teachers, and other public sector employees which is incidental to their main responsibilities. Special Police Officers (or SPOs) can be employed to protect large campuses such as theme parks, hospital centers, and commerce centers.

Some states, such as Maryland, New York, and the District of Columbia, grant full State Police/peace officer authority to SPOs for use in whatever area they are employed to protect. They can make traffic stops in their jurisdiction if they have had accredited training. They are also permitted to conduct traffic control and investigations pertaining to the area protected by them, while a majority of SPOs are armed with a firearm, some states permit the age for an SPO to be 18, while still they can not carry a sidearm. Special police can make a criminal arrest and run blue strobe lights on their vehicle.

California

The San Francisco Patrol Special Police is a neighborhood police force authorized in the City Charter, with officers appointed and regulated by the Police Commission after an initial security review by the San Francisco Police Department. Hourly rates for service are principally paid by private clients, with some cost to the City for general program administration concerning standards of professional performance, but not concerning day-to-day operations. Thus, the nature of this special police force is both quasi-private and quasi-public. The force has been in operation in the United States, city of San Francisco for over 162 years. By current City Code the force provides patrols on the streets of San Francisco as well as at fixed locations, and also provides a range of other safety services as requested by private clients.

Kentucky

In Kentucky, special police officers are Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO). They are sworn peace officers with limited jurisdiction. They have full legal police powers; explicitly including arrest authority, the ability to carry a weapon, and use emergency vehicles. However, their jurisdiction is specifically limited to public property that they have been hired to protect. While Kentucky law allows both the State and local governments to use SLEO's, most are used by the Kentucky State Police in the Facilities Security Branch.

Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, ‘special police’ usually refers to Special State Police Officers (SSPOs) whom are law enforcement officers employed by a college, university, or hospital police force. SSPOs must attend and graduate either the 16-week SSPO Academy hosted by the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) in New Braintree, MA, or any of the 20-week Recruit Officer Courses (the same academies attended by municipal LEOs across the commonwealth) approved by the Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC). Prospective SSPOs may have the training requirement waived by the Massachusetts State Police if they have completed an MPTC-approved Reserve/Intermittent Academy, have worked at least 2,000 hours as a part-time LEO, and have an associate’s degree or higher in criminal justice; SSPO candidates whom have a significant full-time LE work history and have previously completed any LE academy may also apply for a training waiver from the MSP. SSPOs typically have the same police powers as ‘regular’ police officers within the commonwealth, although they may only exercise it pursuant to their duties and usually only while on their employer’s property.

Officers and investigators of the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC) and parole officers of the Massachusetts Parole Board (MPB) are also authorized to be sworn as SSPOs upon recommendation of the chairman of the Massachusetts Parole Board, given they meet SSPO training requirements. Like other SSPOs, they may only exercise their police powers while on-duty and pursuant to their specific duties. MADOC SSPOs are permitted to exercise their police powers in and around Massachusetts penal institutions, while transporting prisoners, and in order to prevent a prisoner from escaping. Both MADOC and MPB SSPOs are permitted to serve warrants issued by the governor, the MADOC commissioner or by the MPB chairman. MPB SSPOs may also execute warrants issued by Massachusetts courts. MPB SSPOs may also arrest parolees that have violated their parole conditions or have committed a crime before the parole officer, and have full police powers when assisting a ‘regular’ police officer. Probation officers of the Massachusetts Probation Service are, unlike parole officers, not sworn as SSPOs. Instead, Massachusetts General Law specifically empowers them as ‘regular’ police officers whom may exercise such authority throughout the commonwealth, and are required to attend a Probation Service academy.

Locally, some towns and cities may use the term ‘special police officer’ to refer to reserve/part-time members of their police departments, such as in Wellesley and Lincoln, MA. If they are sworn, the state requires all special police officers to complete 372.5 hours of training, with an additional 56 hours for those carrying a firearm, the same as other part-time or reserve officers in Massachusetts.

There are also a plethora of ‘special police officers’ who work in the city of Boston; these officers either work directly for the city (Boston School Police, Boston Municipal Protective Services, Boston Public Health Commission Police, Boston Housing Authority Police, or Boston Fire Department arson investigators) or for private security and armored car companies. The city of Boston required these agencies to attend a Boston Police Department-approved academy which was a minimum of 160 training hours. However, as of 1 July 2021, Most Boston special police officers were stripped of their police powers and the automatic right to carry a firearm on-duty, due to the passage of Massachusetts bill S.2963. The bill requires anyone exercising police powers, including Boston special police officers, to have graduated from an MPTC-approved academy or the MSP-sponsored SSPO Academy; The city of Boston is still permitted to issue special police officer licenses, but prospective officers must meet the aforementioned requirements. As of September 2021, only 6 licenses had been re-issued, all to Boston Housing Authority special police officers.

Special police officers and SSPOs whom work for a ‘public agency,’ (i.e. any state or municipal agency, school, or hospital) and are authorized to carry firearms on-duty, qualify to carry a firearm concealed, off-duty, anywhere in the United States, as per the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. This act does not grant any additional police authority to individuals that fall under it. Individuals employed by private agencies, i.e. security companies, private schools, or private hospitals, do not qualify for LEOSA protections.

New Jersey

In New Jersey, Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEOs) are used to supplement full-time police officers. There are currently three classes of special law enforcement officers.

Class I SLEOs are allowed to conduct routine traffic detail, spectator control, and similar duties, but are not authorized to carry a firearm while on duty.

Class II SLEO patch, worn on the right shoulder of the uniform.

Class II SLEOs are permanent, regularly appointed full-time police officers. They are authorized to carry a firearm.

Class III SLEOs are retired fully trained police officers who are under the age of 65 years old. They serve on a part-time basis and authorized to provide security while on school or college premises during hours when the school or college is normally in session or when occupied by students, teachers, or professors. These Officers do not replace regular law enforcement officers or school resource officers currently employed in schools.

By law, all armed SLEOs must return their firearm to the station house unless the firearm is owned by the SLEO in compliance with unit policy on personally owned firearms. All Class II and Class III SLEOs are fully trained and certified police officers in the State of New Jersey. Class I SLEOs go through different certifications, but still have police officer status. Class Two Officers in Newark carry weapons off duty.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department in accordance with New Orleans Home Rule Charter section 4-502 (2) (a) (b) and New Orleans Municipal Code 17271 MCS 90-86, may deputize private Security Guards, within the city limits, with limited Police Power as New Orleans Police Special Officers. Louisiana R.S. 40:1379.1 (b) states the Special Officer, when performing those tasks requiring a Special Officer's commission, shall have the same powers and duties as a Peace Officer, however, that when not performing these tasks directly related to the special officer's commission, he shall be regarded as a private citizen and his commission shall not be in effect. Special Officers may make arrest for felony or misdemeanor offenses on the property or area they are to protect, patrol, or in relation to their direct assignment. However, Special Officers still may make an arrest, as a private person, for a felony, whether in or out of his presence, under Louisiana Law CCRP Art.214 Arrest by private person; when lawful.

North Carolina

In North Carolina, some private companies have their own special police forces. These include hospitals, hotels, race tracks, and shopping malls and are more properly referred to as "Company Police". There are also companies that offer contract special police services for a fee to anyone who has property they wish to protect. In the state of North Carolina, special police differ greatly from security companies. North Carolina Special police officers have full arrest powers on any property they are hired to protect within the state as granted by the North Carolina Attorney General. Special police officers must also attend and pass the Basic Law Enforcement Training program like all other police officers. Security officers do not have arrest powers as their job is to mainly observe and report.

Oregon

Historically, Oregon had many more special police officers than the state does presently, beginning in the 19th century. While the roles they served have largely been replaced by more conventional law enforcement officers, some special police officers and the authorities for commissioning them remain. For instance, under Oregon law, mayors or similar officials who oversee a municipal water supply system are permitted to appoint special police officers which possess police powers for the purposes of maintaining the purity of drinking water. The regional government Metro appoints special police for the purposes of enforcing parking laws and codes. The city of Portland also commissions special police officers for this purpose.

Smithsonian Museum Special Police in NY, Virginia, & DC

Main article: Smithsonian Police

The Smithsonian museum utilizes federal employees designated as "special police" under the United States Code (Title 10, Chapter 63, §6306). These officers patrol Smithsonian property in New York, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Smithsonian Special Police Officers carry firearms, mace and handcuffs and have arrest authority on federal Smithsonian property.

Texas

The Texas Special Police were formed along with the Texas State Police during the administration of Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis on July 22, 1870, to combat crime statewide in Texas. There were thirty special policemen assigned as auxiliary officers throughout the state. On April 22, 1873, the law authorizing the state police was repealed by the newly-elected Democratic-controlled state legislature.

Texas state law authorizes mayors to appoint special police officers to enforce the municipality's laws, avert danger, or protect life or property; because of riot, outbreak, calamity, or public disturbance; or because of threat of serious violation of law or order, of outbreak, or of other danger to the municipality or its inhabitants. (§ 341.011. SPECIAL POLICE FORCE IN TYPE A GENERAL-LAW)

Virginia

Virginia possesses special police officers employed, typically, in the private police field. These officers are regulated by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and are termed special conservators of the peace (SCOP). These officers must meet specific training requirements and be sworn in by the district court judge or magistrate in the area where they request a commission. These officers, when so sworn and certified, are permitted to utilize the term 'police' (this was removed by the state legislature in 2018 and they may no longer use the term) and are permitted to operate emergency vehicles equipped with red flashing/strobing lights (municipal law enforcement operates either blue or combinations of blue and red).

This class of officers should not be confused with armed security officers who in Virginia possess arrest authority on the property they are employed to protect. Armed security officers do not have fresh pursuit authority (off of their grounds/property) whereas SCOP officers do.

Washington, D.C.

Washington utilizes special police in both the public and private security sectors. Most work for private security companies although many security officers in the Washington, D.C., area also have special police status. Special police are required to be licensed and are appointed by the Mayor.

Spain

GEO

Catalonia

Operations jurisdiction:Catalonia

GEI Special intervention group (GEI) in catalan: Grup Especial d'Intervenció. this area It was created in 1984 with the collaboration of the Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK) of Germany.

Vietnam

The Ministry of Public Security has a High Command of Mobile Police Force. It includes six regiments of mobile police and three battalions of special police.

See also

• Constable
• Special constable
• Special constabulary

External links

• Article from San Francisco Chronicle