Under a cooperative agreement with the Metropolitan Police Department, Amtrak Police officers have begun patrolling an expanded jurisdiction that includes an area surrounding Union Station and the streets adjacent to Amtrak's current jurisdiction along railroad tracks in Northeast D.C.

The agreement between the MPD and Amtrak is the first to be executed under the 1997 Police Coordination Act spearheaded by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton . The agreement allows Amtrak Police to assist the MPD in carrying out crime prevention and law enforcement activities by sending personnel on patrol, with the power of arrest, in the expanded area of jurisdiction. Prior to beginning their new patrols, a group of Amtrak Police officers recently completed 96 hours of training on District of Columbia Code at the MPD's Maurice T. Turner Jr., Institute of Police Science.

"As Saturday's Inauguration demonstrated so clearly, when the different law enforcement agencies operating in the District work together, we can succeed in preventing crime and keeping the peace," Metropolitan Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said. "Now, through these cooperative agreements, we will be able to bring that same spirit of teamwork to our everyday work in protecting neighborhoods. Our officers look forward to working more closely with Amtrak's officers - and, eventually, with officers from other agencies that enter into cooperative agreements with us - as we strive to make our Nation's Capital a safer city for residents and visitors alike," Ramsey said.

In addition to providing training on D.C. laws and regulations, the MPD will also supply Amtrak Police with support services such as fingerprinting and photographing prisoners, detention and confinement facilities for prisoners, prisoner transportation services and medical treatment for prisoners.

"America's railroad police departments have long recognized that the nature of our work demands close relationships with the state and local police agencies of the jurisdictions in which we perform our duties," Amtrak Police Chief Ron Frazier said in October when the cooperative agreement was first announced. "This agreement reinforces the longstanding, excellent cooperation between our Department and the MPD."

The Police Coordination Act is part of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act passed by Congress in 1997. The law identifies 32 federal law enforcement agencies operating in the District of Columbia that may enter into cooperative agreements with the MPD to assist with crime prevention and law enforcement activities. The agreements expand the area of jurisdiction in which federal officers may patrol, make arrests and engage in other policing activities within the District of Columbia.

All cooperative agreements are coordinated in advance with the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. "This first cooperative agreement between the MPD and Amtrak is the result of the vision and cooperation of many people," said United States Attorney Wilma Lewis. "Our office will continue to work hard in bringing about additional cooperative agreements which will further enhance safety for the residents of and visitors to the District of Columbia."

More detailed information about the MPD-Amtrak Police cooperative agreement, including an aerial photograph and text description of Amtrak's expanded jurisdiction, can be found on the Metropolitan Police Web site: www.mpdc.org .