Why not just call them policemen and women?
I assume you are referring to the “Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.”
My understanding is that this is a special organization set up by the governments of New York and New Jersey that owns and operates local airports; bridges and tunnels between the two states; and various buildings in the New York metro area.
The Port Authority has, among other things, its own police force.
lucwarm is correct. The media are differentiating between the Port Authority police officers and the NYPD officers.
Every city - or at least almost every city… - that has a commercial port has to have some sort of Port Authority. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, among other things, owns the World Trade Center complex in New York City and had its offices there. I wasn’t aware that they had their own police force, but it doesn’t surprise me, and it makes sense that they’re at the WTC now.
If things haven’t changed since I left NYC in 1966, **lucwarm ** has it right.
Here in St. Louis, we have BiState Transit. Not a port authorty, but they run the rapid transit system that crosses state boundries.