By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The Amtrak secretary had amassed $854,460 from the DEA for his work snitching on riders. or do dogs come onto the train? There area lot of people traveling on the train with something they dont want the government knowing about, McKenzie said in an interview with The Intercept, and law enforcement all along the route are aware of this fact as well. Amtrak does offer checked baggage services on some routes and some stations, but you must check their website to make sure that the stations you're using provide checked baggage services. If your origin and destination stations (and your train!) Yes Amtrak does offer checked baggage services at select stations. Take a moment to see all the ways Amtrak can help you bring aboard the items you want and need en route and at your destination. He argues that these raids do nothing to stop the flow of illegal drugs. Its that the money is presumed to be guilty.. In response to questions from The Intercept, the DEA said that they cannot discuss their investigative tactics, and Amtrak would only say that they work with numerous outside law enforcement agencies, including DEA agents in Albuquerque. The other is tasked with getting people to talk and open their bags. Amtraks Southwest Chiefis the third-longest passenger rail line in the United States, taking about 327,000 people between Chicago and Los Angeles in 2018. Simply enter the origin and destination stations and the website will list the services offered at each station. Personally, I've never had anyone check my luggage on any train, but I also don't travel with any kind of drugs beyond my prescriptions. display: block; Today, he seems confident that he will find someone on board carrying drugs or at least a substantial amount of money. Federal health regulations prohibit Amtrak personnel from handling your food, heating it in our ovens, or storing it in our refrigerators. What do I need to do when I arrive at the station? I'm OK with our bags getting there before we do. All over the country for everybody to read? Sometimes, the fact that a person is traveling on a one-way ticket, for example, is enough to flag a passenger for a search. How much does it cost to check a bag with Amtrak? Theyve made the arrests in the short amount of time that the Southwest Chief is stopped at the station. @media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) { I had snooping conductors wanting to know what was in my boxes and bags. Word apparently hasnt reached the drug mules that their presence on the Southwest Chief and other passenger Amtrak trains is a known phenomenon that goes back decades, or at least back to the mid-1990s. There are industries that are on the fringes, but not actually illegal, she said in an interview. It was a drug dog, and it alerted my bag. You may not consume private stock alcoholic beverages in any public areas. In Kansas City, DEA agents and local officers with the Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force await passengers on the train heading east. Especially troubling to him is research showing that police, when acting on hunches rather than hard evidence, are more likely to let subconscious racial bias creep into their work. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. We dont have to prove that the person is guilty, Sean Waite, the agent in charge at the DEAs Albuquerque office, told the Albuquerque Journal at the time. Greyhound bus service declined to address the allegations that Perry or other DEA agents had touched or opened passengers bags, but added that the company does not provide passenger manifests to outside law enforcement unless it is an immediate life endangerment issue. The statement directly contradicts testimony that Perry gave in March 2019, describing how he receives, via email from a confidential source, the record of passengers coming to Albuquerque on the Greyhound almost every day. And in Galesburg, Illinois, population 32,193, officers from the Galesburg Police Department and the Knox County Sheriffs Department have reportedly seized 191 pounds of cannabis from Amtrak passengers over a period of six years, in addition to some harder drugs. Most of the passengers have no idea that DEA agents also often come aboard. Does Amtrak do bag searches or scans like TSA? - Quora Special Agent Perry and a colleague leaving the Albuquerque Amtrak terminal after searching bags on the Southwest Chief. @ [ \ ] ^ _ ` < | > ~. The train leaves every day in both directions, passing through the same rural route once crossed by traders in the 1800s. What are the size and weight restrictions for checked baggage with Amtrak? PDF Amtrak Security Measures If checked baggage is available, each passenger can check two bags free of charge to their final destination. Monmouth, IL 61462, Galesburg (Travelers cant decline a search once a drug dog makes a positive hit, however.). You live on site. privacy policy. Afew hourscharacteristically behind schedule, Amtraks Southwest Chief rolls into Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the small station that it shares with the Greyhound bus service on the edge of downtown. Bicycle Boxes: $15 per box; Ski Bags: $3 per bag; Shipping Boxes: $5 per box Passengers tell stories of being awakened on a stop and being searched right there at their . Sometimes there will be police with drug/bomb-sniffing dogs in the larger stations, but there's no screening or any real restrictions on what you can bring, regardless of if it's a carry-on or a checked bag. Customers that don't have an Amtrak ticket may store items for $20 per item for 24 hours (valid photo ID required). His name is Jarrell, or Jay, Perry, and hes done it hundreds of times before. DEA Agents Ambush and Search Amtrak Passengers - The Intercept ACLU New Mexico Executive Director Peter Simonson said that travelers who are approached on the train or other mass transit often dont know that they have the right to refuse police searches. National Railroad Passenger Corporation, https://www.amtrak.com/content/amtrak/en-us/onboard/meals-dining/personal-food-beverages-medication. Make sure you have a tag with your name and address on the outside of all your bags. News, photos, questions, and more. Special Menus & Special Dietary Requirements. and Most buses have baggage storage bins under the bus floor, and the bus driver will assist you. I am traveling with a service animal. Do they search people onboard their trains? This is also my first time traveling with Amtrak, I went with a . They have targeted passengers in sleeper cars and those in coach. _ @ " $ # ,). Do your bags get searched on Amtrak? - Wisdom-Advices Which Amtrak stations offer checked baggage services? Basically, I beat Republicans for a living. We will send password reset instructions. Your email address will not be published. Definitely more so. So there should be enough space for your bags. Passwords are case sensitive, should be at least 10 characters long and should include 1 uppercase and 1 lowercase alpha character, 1 number and 1 special character. Passwords are case sensitive. Significantly fewer people have access to your bags on Amtrak than at an airport. Containers must be able to withstand necessary handling and weather elements. Please enter a valid station, city, or address. Cookie Notice @ [ \ ] ^ _ ` < | > ~. Oversized Baggage (76-100 linear inches*) $20 each. Every ride counts as an Amtrak Guest Rewards member. Because he told me he was an officer, the young passenger in Albuquerque later said, explaining why he agreed to the search. We serve alcoholic beverages onboard trains in most Dining, Lounge and Caf Cars. and our Perry did not respond to a request for an interview. The Amtrak Cascades which offers service between Seattle and Portland. Stay calm and no matter what happens, rest assured that misconduct can be reported after the incident and your rights can be defended in court. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. @media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) { Where can I take my animal to relieve itself? If you have special dietary requirements, or a condition such as diabetes, we suggest that you carry sufficient food with you to meet your needs in the event of a delay or other contingency. Members of our squad have made numerous narcotic arrests and seizures from this train route, Marriott wrote. So, I guess there would be enough time to get our luggage from the 763 train to the 14 at LAX? We file excellent motions to suppress illegally seized evidence. She later saw him interviewing other passengers. Amtrak doesn't search bags like TSA does, so Amtrak won't really be looking for weed/drugs unless you give them a cause to search your bag (like an obvious odor, suspicious activity that could indicate smuggling). You dont care, he says. If you have been singled out by law enforcement on an Amtrak excursion, please contact Gullberg, Box & LLC to ensure that your rights are properly represented. The Albuquerque Federal Courthouse building on March 18, 2019. Where can I take my animal to relieve itself? Checked baggage is not offered on all trains and stations, so please check with Amtrak to see if checked baggage is available . (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); @media screen and (min-width: 1201px) { I was a young (30) white male traveling alone. As he told a judge at a hearing in 2011, I want to go to trial, because I want to see who the government puts on this stand as this person who is credible, who sends the information. In an earlier hearing, over objections from the U.S. attorneys office, a DEA agent had testified that he received McKenzies itinerary from an informant in one of Amtraks ticketing offices, who had been trained to look for drug couriers by Perry and an Amtrak Police Department officer. I think, technically, I was supposed to carry some form of government issued ID while travelling onboard Amtrak but my government-issued employee ID had served as an acceptable form of ID for that purpose. Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. -The Northeast Regional which offers service between Boston and Washington D. C. -The Palmetto which offers service between New York and Savannah. The number of boxes is limited, so boxes may not always be available. Quick Answer: Does Amtrak Use Drug Dogs - BikeHike Privacy Policy. I still feel so violated, and was approached exactly the same way as others in your story. He implied that agents had obtained information about him, possibly illegally, in some other way that they werent being truthful about, which would have been grounds to get all the evidence they had on him tossed. Perry iswhite and looks like hes in his fifties. Thank you, sir, I appreciate it, have a good trip, Perry tells the young man after he concludes the search, walking away empty-handed. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.