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Police bust railroad trespassers
Sarah Daniel
Issue date: 4/1/04 Section: News
The Union Pacific Police are cracking down on trespassers during popular bar nights in Warrensburg.
The agency has identified the block between Holden and Washington streets, north of Pine Street, as a problem area concerning trespassing and other railroad violations.
Union Pacific Police regularly stake out the location to catch offenders and in January and February officials made contact with 60 offenders. Jay Holman, senior special agent for the Union Pacific Railroad Police Department, said on Thursday nights and weekends there is a lot of foot and vehicle traffic that crosses the railroad tracks of people going to Pine Street.
Holman said some people improperly cross the tracks or jump the fence that separates the tracks from the alley that runs behind Pine Street on their way to the bars. However, he said, most offenses happen between 12:45 a.m. and 1:45 a.m., when the bars close.
"You've got a huge influx of foot traffic coming back across that crossing to go back to their cars or to go back home," Holman said. "A lot of them have been drinking, some of them have been drinking real heavily, and that's just not a real good combination when you're talking about railroad tracks and a railroad crossing."
Part of the problem has to do with geography. Holman said the physical layout of how close the tracks are to the bar district and the fact that so many students live on the south side of Pine Street, and therefore have to travel across the tracks to get to the bars, are issues that can't really be changed.
He said that although there are well-marked pedestrian crossings at both Holden and Washington streets, people still jump the fence and run around downed gates on foot.
"Most people in this state, or this part of the country, don't think about the requirements of a railroad crossing gate applying to a pedestrian like they do a motor vehicle, but they do," Holman said.
He said there are no specific provisions for pedestrians concerning crossing railroad gates, but it is a trespassing issue.
The agency has identified the block between Holden and Washington streets, north of Pine Street, as a problem area concerning trespassing and other railroad violations.
Union Pacific Police regularly stake out the location to catch offenders and in January and February officials made contact with 60 offenders. Jay Holman, senior special agent for the Union Pacific Railroad Police Department, said on Thursday nights and weekends there is a lot of foot and vehicle traffic that crosses the railroad tracks of people going to Pine Street.
Holman said some people improperly cross the tracks or jump the fence that separates the tracks from the alley that runs behind Pine Street on their way to the bars. However, he said, most offenses happen between 12:45 a.m. and 1:45 a.m., when the bars close.
"You've got a huge influx of foot traffic coming back across that crossing to go back to their cars or to go back home," Holman said. "A lot of them have been drinking, some of them have been drinking real heavily, and that's just not a real good combination when you're talking about railroad tracks and a railroad crossing."
Part of the problem has to do with geography. Holman said the physical layout of how close the tracks are to the bar district and the fact that so many students live on the south side of Pine Street, and therefore have to travel across the tracks to get to the bars, are issues that can't really be changed.
He said that although there are well-marked pedestrian crossings at both Holden and Washington streets, people still jump the fence and run around downed gates on foot.
"Most people in this state, or this part of the country, don't think about the requirements of a railroad crossing gate applying to a pedestrian like they do a motor vehicle, but they do," Holman said.
He said there are no specific provisions for pedestrians concerning crossing railroad gates, but it is a trespassing issue.
