§ 412 — Special police officers

§ 412. 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 this article are hereby authorized to\nappoint from time to time, special police officers, and the same to\nremove at pleasure, who, when appointed, shall be peace officers with\nthe same powers within and about such grounds as are set forth in\nsection 2.20 of the criminal procedure law whose duty, when appointed,\nshall be to preserve order within and around the grounds and racetracks\nof said corporation or association, to protect the property within said\ngrounds, to eject or arrest all persons who shall be improperly within\nthe grounds of such corporation or association or who shall be guilty of\ndisorderly conduct, or who shall neglect or refuse to pay the fees or to\nobserve the rules prescribed by said corporation or association; and it\nshall be the further duty of said police officers, when appointed to\nprevent all violations of law with reference to pool-selling,\nbookmaking, and other gambling, and to arrest any and all persons\nviolating such provisions, and to convey such person or persons so\narrested, with a statement of the cause of such arrest, before a\nmagistrate having jurisdiction of such offense, to be dealt with\naccording to law. The appointment of police officers in pursuance of\nthis section shall not be deemed to supersede in any way on the grounds\nand racetrack of such corporation or association the authority of peace\nofficers or police officers of the jurisdiction within which such\ngrounds 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\nquarter horse racing generally. The commission in its discretion may set\nthe term of any such appointment, terminate any existing appointment at\nany time and prescribe conditions and rules for the conduct of such\noffice.\n