Nonetheless, they are classed by the government as law enforcement, and in many municipalities are armed, just like the state police.
The State of Ohio has no “state police.” It has a State Highway Patrol, but its scope is severely limited and officials make a point to stress that the highway patrol “is not a state police force.” The bulk of criminal investigation and other police functions are left to county sheriffs’ departments and city police departments.
I’m still interested in getting a response to this:
So if I’m standing on the Mall in front of the Washington Monument (the giant obelisk), and I call 911 and ask for the police, who do I get?
Good question. You got me, and I used to work at several of the museums on the Mall. I guess the operator would ask you for a little detail about where you are, and send the right cops. I do know that Park Police cops sometimes patrolled the Mall, and I’ve also seen Secret Service uniformed cops out by the Washington Monument when the presidential helicopter was coming or going. I was even told by one of them to bring down my kite, which might be some minor hazard to the chopper – or maybe annoyance to the pilot.
Probably the Park Service Police. But maybe the Metropolitan Police. And there’s a slim chance you’ll get the Capitol Police.
Every few months I see a cruiser with a police department name on it that I hadn’t heard of before. I was surprised to see a car marked “FBI Police.” That one seemed a bit odd. I just saw a new one this past weekend, but I can’t remember the name now.
It’ll also depend on what the emergency is. If you call up saying there’s a shooter on the mall, you’ll get everyone they can get there.
Adding even more to the Washington, DC police list, I didn’t see either Amtrak nor CSX Railroad listed, even though both have decent-sized police forces. Most Class I railroads have police forces to handle trespassing, theft, vandalism, and accidents.