After a 10 year vacancy, Jasper now has a CN Police Constable stationed in town that will help deter people from trespassing on private railway land.

Const. Richard Di Biase, of the CN Police Service, has been working in Jasper for the past month. He is the first constable to be positioned in Jasper, after the position sat open for a decade. Before Di Biase started at the Jasper position, CN employees would report trespassers, and the RCMP could respond. 

Di Biase took the Jasper position after many constables were unwilling to relocate their families. The new Chief of the CN Police Service, Stephen Covey, asked if anyone would be willing to fill the space in Jasper, and Di Biase was happy to put his name forward.

“I had no issue with coming back out here,” Di Biase said. 

Di Biase is focusing his patrols on preventing trespassing, illegal train riding and vehicles driving through railway crossings after the guards have gone down. ATV and snowmobile use on train tracks is also an issue outside of the park.

Right now, Di Biase said he is issuing warnings to anyone caught on CN property. After the pedestrian underpass opens he will have a zero-tolerance policy. The penalty for trespassing on railway property ranges from a $287 fine to a trip to a jail cell, where finger prints will be taken and logged. The CN Police Service is federally regulated. 

“Unless you’re a railway employee, you need to stay off the land,” Di Biase said. “The railway has zero tolerance. There is a purpose for it.”

That includes land immediately surrounding railway tracks. While there is no set distance, anything parallel to the tracks is considered to be CN property.

Di Biase said crossing unlawfully into CN property can be extremely dangerous. He recently caught a man walking across the railyard with earphones in. The constable was able to stop the man before he crossed in front of an approaching train. 

“(The) dangers of it could be your life,” Di Biase said, adding that trains in the yard can be very quiet. 

Since starting in Jasper, Di Biase estimates he has spoken to about 50 people cutting through CN land illegally. 

Di Biase has witnessed people climbing under or over cars to cross the tracks when a train is stopped, which is an activity he says is extremely dangerous. 

“It’s tempting, but you know it’s just that split second,” he said, adding that coats or backpacks can get snagged on the cars in an attempt to skip over it, resulting in injury or death if the car moves. “I know it’s a bit of an inconvenience.”

While waiting for a train can take time, there are ways to avoid a parked train across the road. Di Biase said that trespassers not only risk their lives, but they can slow down traffic at the yard and take up resources for CN employees who hope to pass through Jasper quickly.

“They want to get going on their journey too,” he said. 

Di Biase is excited for the underpass to open up, and hopes it will encourage people to stay off of CN’s property. 

“I think it’s great,” he said. 

Another problem CN Police encounter is train riders, who use the trains illegally to travel. Jasper is a major terminal point for travel to Kamloops, Prince George and Edmonton.

“They don’t want to be noticed,” Di Biase said. “It’s something surprising for this day and age.”

Many people think train riding is a thing of the past, but it still exists, with the culprits using rail cars to travel across the country, Di Biase said.

“It’s like a whole underground world.” 

Due to the chance of injury for train riders, Di Biase said violators will be charged to the fullest extent of federal law.

“With someone like that I’d take them to jail,” he said.

The CN Police work closely with the RCMP. If Di Biase ever finds himself with a slow day – a rare occurrence – he can help out with RCMP operations such as targeting drunk drivers and traffic violations. He also has a police vehicle with lights and sirens and carries a police-issue gun. 

“Whatever the RCMP do, we do. It’s a partnership,” Di Biase said. “I can be as busy as I want to be. There is no shortage of work.”

There is no typical day for a CN Police Constable. Di Biase usually starts his day by checking his email to see if anything is going on, or if there have been reports of nearby violations. He then does patrols throughout the day and enforces trespassing laws.

Many people are unaware that the CN Police Service even exists, but railway police actually pre-date Canada becoming a country. Railway police have been running in some form since 1860, with the CN Police Service starting in 1923.

“We have quite a history.”

Di Biase said that ultimately it’s a community effort and a large part of his job is working with the community.  

“I’m a people person and I’m looking forward to working with the people of Jasper. I wanted to reiterate that anyone can call the CN Emergency Line at 1-800-465-9239 to report a condition affecting the immediate safety of trains. To report a problem with flashing lights, gates, bells or signs at a railway crossing or to be connected to a police operator, the CN Police Service can be reached anytime at that number.”