(such as the NYPD Auxiliary) Company or private police Fire police SWAT Security police or private security officers granted law enforcement authority State- or jurisdiction-specific variations of ‘special police officer,’ such as Massachusetts’ ‘Special State Police Officer,’ or Kentucky and New Jersey’s ‘Special Law Enforcement Officer While no single definition of ‘special police’ prevails across the United States, it is typically understood to mean either a law enforcement agency working for a unique jurisdiction (such as a hospital or park) or a law enforcement officer whose authority, training, and experience may differ somewhat from a ‘regular’ law enforcement officer (LEO). The term can also refer to limited police power granted in some jurisdictions to lifeguards, SPCA personnel, teachers, and other public sector employees which is incidental to their main responsibilities. The specific powers granted to special police officers vary widely from state to states and sometimes within a single state. Some states, such as Maryland, New York, and the District of Columbia, grant full police/peace officer authority to SPOs for use in whatever area they are employed to protect. They may make traffic stops in their jurisdiction if they have had accredited training. They are also permitted to conduct traffic control and investigations pertaining to the area protected by them. In some jurisdictions, SPOs may be granted only limited arrest authority in specific circumstances, while in still other jurisdictions, SPOs are granted no more authority than an otherwise private citizen could exercise in effecting a citizen’s arrest. Many jurisdictions permit SPOs to carry a firearm (some even while off-duty, with some SPOs being covered under LEOSA), but some are not permitted to do so. Even in the latter case, however, they are typically permitted to carry at least OC spray (pepper spray), a baton, and/or handcuffs. Some SPOs are permitted to conduct traffic stops. In these cases, the SPOs typically (although not always) hold ‘full’ police powers. SPOs that are primarily responsible for law enforcement in a given jurisdiction (such as hospital or campus police) are more likely to hold this authority than, for example, an SPO working for a municipality’s law enforcement agency as an auxiliary law enforcement officer. Uniforms of SPOs also vary widely. SPOs that hold no or limited police authority are typically uniformed in a manner that makes it immediately apparent that they are not ‘regular’ law enforcement. This may range from distinctly different color uniforms