I had a strange encounter with a Union Pacific Special Investigator yesterday. I really wasn’t even doing any railfanning either. I had a new Magnaflow muffler installed on my truck and I was testing it out. While I was going past the UP mainline, I stopped in my usual area for only a couple of minutes. I then left and got on the Interstate and drove for about 25 min . I headed west of town (Cheyenne) and then back south. Then I proceeded back through town and then home.
After I pulled into my driveway, a black SUV showed up. He rolled down the window and asked a bunch of odd questions. He stated that he was RR Police and he had followed me home. I never saw anyone tailing me that whole time either. He stated that he had met me before, but he didn’t look familiar. He asked me if I had a job? How long have you been a railfan? What were you doing down there? Did I know how to remove a EOT or FRED? He then mentioned the Democratic Convention??? Finally, he got around to mentioning incidents that had occured and my type of vehicle was sort of similar to one seen. Then he said that a possible disgruntled employee had been turning angle cocks and removing FRED’s from UP trains both East and West of town. He wanted to know if I watch trains at night and if I had seen anything suspicious. I told him that I have always reported things in the past. He gave me his card and left.
Very odd. I wonder why he doesn’t talk to me while I down there watching trains. I don’t like the way that he tailed me all over the place to my home. In fact, when he pulled into the driveway, I thought it was some road rage idiot. He could have parked on the street and come to the door. He never showed a badge either. I wonder if I should report his actions to the Chief Of Police in Omaha. About a decade ago, a RR Cop harrassed me and I reported him. He ended up getting reprimanded.
Was he in a UP vehicle? Did he offer or did you ask for official identification of him? Did you call your local police agency after he left? Did you call your closest UP police office or trainmaster?
i belive from reading your account of the events leads me to belive that it was not an rr cop and yes you should report him to your local police station also i do too find it odd that he trailed you all the way home and did not did not show a badge.
You state that he gave you his Card. Have you verified that the info contained on the card is REAL? Have you called the numbers listed on the card? Does the card contain the UP Emergency contact number?
Remember, for the most part RR Police are former State or Local police and use the powers of observation that they learned in those positions in thier positions as RR Police. He may not have ‘followed you home’ by you circuitious route, he may have seen you at your observation point, checked your car license for the address it is registered at and gone there.
If the guy identified himself as a police officer, he must show identification if requested. Was he in uniform? If not and all he did was give you a card, I would contact the local police department as this is a possible police impersonator, which I know that all law enforcement frown upon.
The numbers on the card are legit. I have been in contact with Union Pacific headquarters in Omaha. They had me file a report as the person I talked to thought it was odd that he followed me home. I will post again upon further updates.
Let me point out that I have been a railfan here in Cheyenne for more than 20 years. Also, family is UP stock shareholders. I have had only owned two vehicles (that I use for railfanning) during that period and any ‘local’ railroad police that I have encountered over the years have had no issues with where I watch trains or if I take pictures. I have reported several incidents in the past too. If he had met me before, it would have been several years ago since I didn’t really recognize him. I just feel it very bizzare how drives onto my property just seconds after I get home, and does a brief interrogation. I sort of agree with BaltACD that he didn’t follow me since my route home involves several types of roads with turns and blind spots caused by hills. I recall no black vehicle directly behind me. Maybe he was way back and speed up in the last moment to catch up.
He wasn’t in a uniform…he was in a black unmarked SUV…he presented his business card which appears legit, he stated that he was railroad police and that we had met before…
I have a feeling he is legit, but went about things improperly or could have done it in a different way.
I read that all of the states in Union Pacific’s 23 state system authorize full police authority, except for Minnesota and Wyoming, which do not grant authority to railroad police at all.
If this guy’s still employed and running around Cheyenne in July, he might lose his mind. The UP Historical Society is having its convention there. LOTS of railfans to track down and interrogate!
Yeah but anyone could have biz cards printed with legitimate numbers on them. This sounds really weird and the local police should be contacted about it.
It’s a bit offbeat for sure. If you called the UP and they said he was legit then at least you know, but it was good you filed a report because his techniques were a bit odd. If anything they should tell him to do things a little more properly.
I believe it. Police impersonators do exist, and anybody can make up business cards to hand out. Any real police officer should show a badge or legit ID if not in uniform or in a marked vehicle. It’s possible that an individual there could be targetting railfans to possibly commit some sort of crime or something.
How do you know you haven’t seen a policeman? Railroad police don’t necessarily wear uniforms, in fact except in public transit locations and ceremonial attire, I don’t believe they do. Most rail security people I have known outside transit/commuter operations actually are plain clothes and even their vehicles cannot be distinguished from other railroad vehicles unless you read closely.
But in this case, I am suspect. No security officer would normally follow you home and then address you. They would either do in on or around railroad property or leave you alone. This case has to be checked out for the safety of all concerned. And note, too, there is a difference between a security guard and a railroad police officer or detective; maybe a fine line difference, but a difference nonetheless.
No doubt there can be problems…I remember a few years ago a real securtiy guard with uniform put a red light on his car and stopped a few people for some reason or another. He had some mental issues and had to be dismissed. So you can’t be too careful,
UP called me on Thusday and asked me for some additional info. They stated that the the Chief Of Police will review the incident and I can expect a follow up.
This also makes me wonder if this guy was actually involved in some of the mischief being done, and he was trying to find out if maybe you had witnessed anything? There’s certainly been situations in the past where people get so obsessed they begin impersonating. Usually you hear of people impersonating police or other law enforcement officials, but I’ve also heard of lunatics pretending to be hospital staff.
A friend of mine is an RN and she told me once they caught a woman strolling through the hospital in full garb, checking in on patients and she even got into an operating room during a surgery before someone got suspicious. She later confessed that she had an obsession with hospitals and had been nabbed in two other facilities before (this was in Oregon). Apparently she never did anything sinister - she just was obsessed with being in the uniform and in the environment.