§ 312 — Special police officers

§ 312. Special police officers. 1. For the purpose of preserving order\nand preventing offenses against the laws prohibiting gambling, the\nofficers or directors of any corporation or association created under or\nsubject to the provisions of sections two hundred twenty-two through\nseven hundred five of this chapter are hereby authorized to appoint from\ntime to time, special police officers, and the same to remove at\npleasure, who, when appointed, shall be peace officers with the same\npowers within and about such grounds as are vested in peace officers as\nset forth in section 2.20 of the criminal procedure law, whose duty and\npowers, when appointed, shall be to preserve order within and around the\ngrounds and racetracks of said corporation or association, to protect\nthe property within said grounds, to eject or arrest all persons who\nshall be improperly within the grounds of such corporation or\nassociation or who shall be guilty of disorderly conduct, or who shall\nneglect or refuse to pay the fees or to observe the rules prescribed by\nsaid corporation or association; and it shall be the further duty of\nsaid police officers, when appointed to prevent all violations of law\nwith reference to pool-selling, bookmaking, and other gambling, and to\narrest any and all persons violating such provisions, and to convey such\nperson or persons so arrested, with a statement of the cause of such\narrest, before a court having jurisdiction of such offense, to be dealt\nwith according to the law. The appointment of police officers in\npursuance of this section shall not be deemed to supersede in any wise\non the grounds and racetrack of such corporation or association the\nauthority of peace officers or police officers of the jurisdiction\nwithin which such grounds and racetrack are located.\n 2. Any appointment of a special police officer under this section\nshall be made only with the approval of the commission. Application for\nsuch approval shall be in such form as may be prescribed by the\ncommission and shall contain such other information or material or\nevidence as the commission shall require. In acting on an application\nfor such approval the commission shall consider the background,\nexperience, integrity, and competence of the candidate for appointment,\nthe public interest, convenience or necessity and the interests of\nharness racing generally. The commission in its discretion may set the\nterm of any such appointment, terminate any existing appointment at any\ntime and prescribe conditions and rules for the conduct of such office.\n